A Vermilion County woman faces 31 months in prison for creating and distributing violent torture videos with monkeys.
According to a news release from United States Attorney Troy Rivetti of the Western District of Pennsylvania, Amanda Leigh Fourez of Catlin, Illinois, was sentenced to slightly over two and a half years in prison and three years on supervised release.
The sentence was imposed for Fourez’s involvement with online groups dedicated to creating and disseminating recordings portraying acts of “extreme violence and sexual abuse” against monkeys in violation of the federal “Animal Crushing” statute.
The punishment was handed by United States District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand after Fourez pled guilty in April to sharing animal crush movies and collaborating with others to manufacture and disseminate these videos.
According to court documents and confessions made during the sentencing hearing, Fourez paid thousands of dollars to commission “bespoke” sexual torture recordings of monkeys, which he then circulated online.
She was a part of multiple group chats and secret payment groups dedicated to the creation, sharing, and discussion of sexual and violent videos depicting monkeys being tormented. This includes images of baby and adult monkeys being burned and their genitals damaged.
During the sentencing, Judge Wiegand dismissed Fourez’s plea for a downward variance, stating that the recordings she recorded and transmitted were “shocking and violent” and depicted “agonizing animal torture.” Judge Wiegand also stated that this punishment should prevent others from engaging in similar acts.
In April, another member of these organizations, Joseph Garrett Buckland of Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to manufacture and distribute animal crush movies. He is scheduled to be sentenced on January 13, 2027.
“Amanda Fourez commissioned mutilation of helpless animals on video and then disseminated those gruesome videos to an online community of people who were seeking content that portrayed the infliction of severe pain and suffering,” United States Attorney Troy Rivetti stated. “Today’s sentencing demonstrates the ongoing commitment of the Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners to investigating and prosecuting these serious federal crimes involving cruelty to animals.”
Homeland Investigations Security New Orleans’ Cyber and Human Exploitation Investigations looked into this case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Alyssa R. Angotti and Kelly M. Locher from the Western District of Pennsylvania, as well as Trial Attorney Emily R. Stone of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section.
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