WHARTON, NJ – Giancarlo Morelli, of Wharton, New Jersey, was sentenced today to 48 months in federal prison for conspiring to create and distribute animal crush videos depicting extreme violence and sexual abuse against monkeys.
According to court documents, Morelli paid another individual on 19 separate occasions for videos showing the torture and abuse of baby and adolescent monkeys. He also maintained extensive communications with the supplier, offering feedback on the videos and requesting specific content for future recordings. The videos included acts such as burning and mutilating the animals’ genitals.
The case was prosecuted under federal laws prohibiting animal crush videos, which are defined as depictions of extreme cruelty intended to appeal to certain deviant interests. Morelli’s conduct was part of a broader conspiracy facilitated through online groups dedicated to such content.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division said, “Congress has said clearly that this conduct has no place in our society. We will prosecute everyone we can, as we did with this chat group.”
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the FBI, with support from the Department of Justice’s Environmental Crimes Section. Senior Trial Attorney Adam C. Cullman led the prosecution, with assistance from former Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Oakley for the Southern District of Ohio.
