A 42-year-old woman from Covington, Louisiana, is facing a federal charge for allegedly distributing horrifying animal crush videos online that showed monkeys being severely abused and killed, according to a press release from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
Ariel Kornienko was charged on July 23, 2025, for sharing graphic footage in which monkeys were impaled, penetrated with objects, gravely injured, and had their lives cruelly taken from them.
A conviction could bring Kornienko a maximum sentence of seven years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.
This is the latest in a string of recent arrests, indictments, and convictions for participation in horrific baby monkey torture rings, which include perpetrators around the world. We are grateful to all law enforcement agents and prosecutors working hard to achieve justice for these animals.
Lady Freethinker and Action for Primates first exposed the sadistic world of online monkey torture in 2021—including the online group “Million Tears,” where members paid to request specific acts of torture inflicted upon monkeys.
Our investigations also contributed to the BBC documentary “The Monkey Haters,” which exposed the issue to a global audience.
The torment these helpless monkeys endured is unconscionable and unacceptable. Lady Freethinker will continue to expose this abuse and fight to end the exploitation of animals everywhere.
