A Carver man has been indicted on 16 federal charges that alleged he produced videos showing animals being tortured and killed on YouTube.
Bryan Wesley Edison, 32, appeared Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis on charges that he reportedly profited off hundreds of videos posted to his two now-defunct YouTube channels that depicted animals being crushed or tortured inside his home. The videos showed Edison purposefully placing small animals, such as birds, mice or guinea pigs, into areas where they fell victim to large reptiles.
“Animal crushing is not only sickening, it is a federal crime,” said acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson. “When someone takes pleasure in the torture of defenseless animals, it signals a deeper danger to our community. Especially in these troubled times, we will not allow these warning signs to go unchecked.”
Edison did not have a lawyer as of Wednesday afternoon.
The indictment alleges that from 2022 to 2023, Edison posted nearly 350 videos of the animal torture and offered “membership” levels to viewers for a monthly fee ranging from 99 cents to $99. Edison drove viewers to his page using “clickbait” titles including words such as “slow death,” “shred” or “tear apart.”
Federal prosecutors said he further promoted his channels through logos and merchandise. Edison collected at least $1,500 in payments from YouTube viewers. The social media site since removed the channels for violating multiple policies.
President Donald Trump in 2019 signed a bill expanding an existing law that made animal cruelty a federal crime. Through the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act, intentional torture shown in “animal crushing” videos became a federal felony offense.
