Skip to main content
Press Release

Covington Woman Sentenced For Distributing Brutally Cruel Animal Crush Videos

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Louisiana

NEW ORLEANS, LA – United States Attorney David I. Courcelle announced that ARIEL KORNIENKO (“KORNIENKO”), age 43, a resident of Covington, Louisiana, was sentenced to 9 months of imprisonment and 6 months of home detention, followed by 3 years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee, after previously pleading guilty to distributing animal crush videos, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 48(a)(3).

According to the court documents, KORNIENKO distributed illegal animal crush videos online from on or about October 25, 2023, and continuing through on or about June 7, 2024. Specifically, KORNIENKO distributed obscene and shockingly cruel videos depicting impaling monkeys in the genitals, penetrating them with inanimate objects, lighting them on fire and subjecting them to serious bodily injury and a brutal death.

United States Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Cyber Crimes Group in conjunction with HSI Wildlife and Environmental Unit.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mary Katherine Kaufman of the General Crimes Unit, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jon Maestri, Special Counsel to the U.S. Attorney and Ethan Eddy of the U.S. Department of Justice Environmental Crimes Section.

*   *   *

Contact

Shane M. Jones

Public Information Officer

United States Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Louisiana

United States Department of Justice

Updated May 14, 2026

Topic
Environment