FLORIDA (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2026) — A Coral Gables man was sentenced to five years in federal prison after pleading guilty in a case involving online groups that distributed videos showing extreme violence and sexual abuse against monkeys, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Francisco Javier Ravelo, of Coral Gables, was sentenced Wednesday, May 20, 2026, to 60 months in prison and three years of supervised release. As part of that supervised release, Ravelo is not permitted to have any unsupervised contact with animals, according to federal prosecutors.
The case was brought under the federal Animal Crushing statute, which makes the production and distribution of obscene animal crush videos a felony.
Ravelo pleaded guilty in March to distributing more than 40 animal crush videos, according to the Justice Department. Prosecutors said the videos depicted acts of extreme violence and sexual abuse against monkeys.
According to court documents and statements made during the sentencing hearing, Ravelo owned and administered several online chat groups used to distribute and discuss sexual and violent videos involving monkeys being mutilated and tortured.
Federal prosecutors said Ravelo controlled access to the invitation-only private groups and moderated them. The court found that he was a leader and organizer of the groups, a finding that served as a basis for an upward variance in his prison sentence.
During sentencing, the court described the material distributed in the case as “evil,” according to the Justice Department. The court also said the sentence was intended to show that “in society we will not tolerate this kind of material being distributed in any way, shape, or form” and to deter others in what prosecutors described as the monkey hate community.
“The production and distribution of obscene animal crush videos is a felony,” Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division said in the release. “In passing the Animal Crushing statute, Congress recognized that cruelty to animals desensitizes participants to the suffering of human beings. This sentence is a warning to all future would-be creators and consumers of animal crushing that they risk federal prosecution and imprisonment for these crimes.”
Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case.
“Ravelo’s conviction and this sentencing make it clear that those who commit these horrific crimes cannot evade justice,” Acting Special Agent in Charge Matt Wright of HSI New Orleans said in the release. “Even when offenders use advanced technology and exclusive, invitation-only groups to hide their illegal activities, HSI will relentlessly pursue them and ensure they are held accountable.”
Wright said investigators worked to stop Ravelo’s crimes and prevent further harm, and that HSI remains committed to bringing others involved in similar offenses to justice.
Trial Attorney Emily R. Stone of the Justice Department’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brooke E. Latta for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.
The Justice Department release was updated May 22, 2026. No additional case status information, case number or attorney information was included in the provided material.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Environment and Natural Resources Division, release updated May 22, 2026.
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