Deborah

🚨 ANIMAL TORTURE WITHOUT BORDERS Part 1(a): The United States Is Sending Animal Torture Network Members to Prison Nine years in federal prison. Another 31-month sentence. Four additional guilty pleas. Over the past several months, American authorities have secured significant convictions against individuals involved in international animal torture networks. These cases deserve far more attention, particularly from those advocating stronger animal protection laws around the world. They demonstrate something important: you don’t necessarily have to physically torture an animal to face serious criminal consequences for helping make that torture happen. 🇺🇸 CASE 1: NINE YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON On July 21, 2026, Nicholas Dryden of Cincinnati, Ohio, was sentenced to nine years in federal prison. According to the US Department of Justice, Dryden paid a minor in Indonesia to produce videos of monkeys being tortured. He subsequently sold those videos through online groups he administered. Think about what this means. The person commissioning the abuse was in America. The physical abuse occurred thousands of miles away in Indonesia. Yet American authorities investigated, prosecuted, and secured a substantial prison sentence against the organizer. The FBI and US Fish and Wildlife Service investigated the case. 🇺🇸 CASE 2: 31 MONTHS IN FEDERAL PRISON On October 8, 2026, Amanda Leigh Fourez of Illinois was sentenced to 31 months in prison. According to federal prosecutors, Fourez paid thousands of dollars to commission videos depicting extreme monkey torture and distributed them online. She participated in private online communities dedicated to commissioning and sharing these videos. Again, the critical distinction: she was prosecuted for commissioning and distributing the abuse, not for personally carrying out the physical torture. 🇺🇸 CASE 3: FOUR ADDITIONAL GUILTY PLEAS On October 23, 2026, the Department of Justice announced that four additional individuals had pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to create and distribute monkey torture videos. The defendants were among 11 individuals indicted in 2025. According to prosecutors, participants used Telegram to discuss future videos and online payment applications to finance torture carried out in Indonesia. These were not simply allegations circulating on social media. They were documented federal criminal proceedings. 🌍 WHY THIS MATTERS Online animal torture can involve multiple participants operating across different countries. Someone commissions the abuse. Someone else carries it out. Others finance, distribute, or purchase the resulting material. But these prosecutions demonstrate that international borders do not necessarily shield those responsible. American authorities are using existing laws to pursue people who commission and facilitate extreme cruelty, even when the physical abuse occurs overseas. These laws have jurisdictional limits, and much more remains to be done. Nevertheless, this represents meaningful progress. The message is clear: participating in an international animal torture network can have serious criminal consequences. And the United States isn’t alone. In Part 1(b), we’ll examine how British authorities prosecuted another international animal torture network organizer, and what these cases could teach countries seeking stronger animal protection laws. #AnimalWelfare #AnimalCruelty #JusticeForAnimals #justiceforwangwang