Iowa man charged after soliciting ‘sadistic’ videos of monkeys, DOJ says

Federal prosecutors accused Philip Colt Moss of sending money to aid in the production of “animal crush” videos produced in Indonesia.

By Praveena Somasundaram
August 26, 2024 at 9:40 p.m. EDT

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Des Moines lawyer indicted for distributing torture, mutilation videos of monkeys
Philip Colt Moss was indicted in Ohio federal court

Trish MehaffeyTrish Mehaffey
Aug. 23, 2024 4:53 pm

A Des Moines lawyer was indicted Friday in an Ohio federal court for being involved with online groups dedicated to creating and distributing videos depicting acts of extreme violence and sexual abuse against monkeys. … Philip Colt Moss was charged with conspiracy to create and distribute so-called “animal crush videos,” and distributing animal crush videos, according to court documents.

In March and April 2023, Moss is accused of conspiring with two other men, Nicholas Dryden and Giancarlo Morelli, not charged in Iowa, to create and distribute videos depicting acts of sadistic violence against baby, adolescent and adult monkeys. Dryden and Morelli were previously indicted and pending trial in Ohio. … According to court documents, the videos, created as part of the conspiracy, included depictions of monkeys having their genitals burned and mutilated and being abused in other torturous ways.

In a motion regarding release, prosecutors state Moss was arrested in the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Iowa on Aug. 8. Prosecutors proffered a 28-page indictment. These monkey videos are sold to private groups, which operate similarly to child pornography distribution groups and have a vetting process for viewers to be admitted.

Moss had a “heightened” involvement in the offense because he was an “administrator,” according to the indictment. Over a 41-day period, Moss sent 18 payments to Dryden totaling $1,447 for the animal crush videos.

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