A Chesapeake man has pleaded guilty to conspiring to create and distribute sadistic animal torture videos.
Michael Macartney, 51, of Chesapeake, pleaded guilty in a federal court in Norfolk, Va., on charges of conspiracy to create and distribute animal crushing videos.
According to court documents, Macartney and his co-conspirators used a private online chat group and other encrypted messaging platforms to fund, view, distribute, and promote videos depicting the torture, murder, and sexually sadistic mutilation of animals, specifically juvenile and adult monkeys.
Macartney received over 300 electronic payments from his co-conspirators for promoting, creating, obtaining, receiving, and distributing the torture videos. He even went so far as to raise additional funds for a bonus payment to a videographer who created a video of a juvenile monkey being tortured with a jar of ants, leading to the monkey’s death.
In March 2022, Macartney agreed to sell copies of all his animal crush videos to a co-conspirator for $100. The co-conspirator sent Macartney $75 electronically and Macartney sent the co-conspirator website links where his videos were stored. Macartney stated there were just under 2,300 videos. On Aug. 5, 2022, Macartney possessed at least 500 videos depicting animal crushing.
Macartney is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 4, 2024, and faces a maximum of five years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Yusi is prosecuting the case.
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Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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