MN Man Charged With Running Animal Torture YouTube Channels

Minneapolis, MN (KROC-AM News) - A Minnesota man is facing federal charges for allegedly operating pay-per-view YouTube channels that featured hundreds of videos depicting brutal animal cruelty.

The Office of the U.S. Attorney for Minnesota says 32-year-old Bryan Wesley Edison of Carver faces 16 counts of animal crushing. The charges allege that the videos produced by Edison showed animals being “tortured, drowned, dismembered, disemboweled, attacked, and killed.”

Federal Prosecutors Cite “Sickening” Animal Cruelty Videos

“Animal crushing is not only sickening, it is a federal crime,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. 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.”

Get our free mobile app

A news release on the case says that in 2019, President Trump overhauled and expanded the federal Crush Video Statute to make it illegal for any person to “purposely engage in animal crushing—that is, purposely crushing, burning, drowning, suffocating, impaling, or otherwise subjecting to serious bodily injury living mammals, birds, reptiles, or amphibians.”

According to court documents, Edison has operated the YouTube channels since 2022, depicting the kinds of torture covered by the Crush Video Statute for his viewers’ “sadistic enjoyment.” The charges allege that he posted nearly 350 videos. The tortured animals included birds, hamsters, mice, guinea pigs, rabbits, lizards, other large reptiles, dogs, and snapping turtles.

Prosecutors Say Profits Came Through Membership Fees

It is also alleged that he developed logos and merchandise that he offered for sale to customers. The charges say Edison set up membership levels that charged subscribers between $0.99 and nearly $100 a month to access the videos.

The charges stem from an investigation conducted by the FBI.

More Minnesota News:

• Gambling Habit Fueled $2.7M Fraud by Minnesota Woman
• Man Caught Pouring Gasoline in Rochester Home Sentenced to Prison
• Fake Contractors Accused of Burglarizing Rochester-Area Homes