Miami-Area Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Videos Depicting Sexual Torture of Baby Monkeys

Note: the press release has been updated to include a quote from U.S. Attorney Quiñones.

Francisco Javier Ravelo, 36, of Coral Gables, Florida, pleaded guilty today to distributing videos depicting the torture of monkeys, in violation of the federal Animal Crushing statute. Ravelo was charged in October 2025.

According to court documents, Ravelo created some and administered some online chat groups dedicated to the distribution and discussion of sexual and violent videos depicting monkeys being  mutilated and burned, including baby and adult monkeys. Ravelo personally distributed more than 40 of these obscene crush videos.

“In his first term, President Donald J. Trump signed the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act into law to end animal crushing,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “If you are involved in this sadistic activity, we will prosecute you.”

“This case is deeply disturbing,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “As a former state court trial judge who presided over domestic violence cases, I was trained to recognize lethality factors, warning signs that violence is escalating. Deliberate cruelty to animals is one of the clearest red flags. It reflects a willingness to dominate, torture, and inflict suffering without remorse. The defendant didn’t merely view this material. He created and administered online groups devoted to it and distributed dozens of obscene animal torture videos. That conduct fuels a market built on brutality. Animal crushing is a serious federal crime. In the Southern District of Florida, we will enforce that law firmly and without hesitation.”

“Our team worked diligently to ensure Ravelo was held accountable for his egregious crimes and to prevent further harm,” said acting Special Agent in Charge Matt Wright of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). “We are grateful for the collaboration that brought this case to resolution and Ravelo to justice.”

Ravelo faces a maximum penalty of seven years in prison.

HSI investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Emily R. Stone of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brooke E. Latta for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.