Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Disturbing Animal Cruelty Charges
A resident of Coral Gables, Florida, recently entered a guilty plea related to a highly unsettling incident involving a monkey, which was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.
Francisco Javier Rabelo, age 36, pleaded guilty on March 2 after being indicted in October 2025 for distributing videos that depicted the torture of monkeys.
According to a press release from the Department of Justice, Ravello, a U.S. citizen, “created and operated multiple online chat groups focused on sharing and discussing sexual and violent videos featuring mutilated and burned monkeys, including both baby and adult monkeys.”
The Justice Department reported that Ravello personally shared “over 40 of these horrific videos.”
U.S. law defines “animal crushing” as the intentional act of crushing, burning, drowning, suffocating, impaling, or otherwise severely harming live nonhuman mammals, birds, reptiles, or amphibians.
During his presidency, Donald J. Trump advocated for the Animal Cruelty and Torture Prevention Act, with officials emphasizing a zero-tolerance stance on cruelty to animals. Adam Gustafson, Principal Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, stated, “We are taking steps to stop animal crushing. If you’re involved in this cruel activity, we will seek prosecution.”
Jason A. Redding Quiñones, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, added, “Intentional cruelty to animals is a significant warning sign, indicating a propensity to control and inflict suffering without remorse. The defendants not only consumed this material but actively created and maintained a community centered around it, distributing countless outrageous videos.” This contributes to a troubling market rooted in cruelty.
The investigation by HSI New Orleans, HSI Pensacola, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service played a critical role in leading Ravello to his guilty plea, as noted in an ICE press release.
Ravello may face a prison sentence of up to seven years.
