What are Animal Crush Videos?
So-called “animal crush videos” are films that purportedly depict animals being stepped on or tortured in various ways. “Hard crush” videos involve larger animals such as cats and birds, whereas “soft crush” videos typically involve small, usually invertebrate, animals.
What Actions Does the Animal Crush Law Ban?
Congress enacted the animal crush law to target a subgenre of adult fetish films involving women crushing animals with their feet. The law is so broadly written, however, that it can encompass any video depicting animal harm, including dog fighting videos.
The federal animal crush laws specifically ban media showing serious harm to mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. Any photograph or video depicting the torture of these animals falls under the law. The law also bans the sale and distribution of animal torture videos.
The majority of “soft crush” videos appear to be adult films depicting women stomping on bugs and sometimes larger animals. The current federal animal crush laws cover mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, but not insects, so insect-crushing videos appear to be outside of federal bans on animal cruelty films.
Contact Our Firm
If you face federal charges for distributing an animal crush video, contact the criminal defense attorneys at Greg Smith and Associates. We handle animal crush video cases brought against individuals across Utah, including in Salt Lake City, Orem and Provo.
Our lead attorney, Gregory B. Smith, has prosecutorial experience and knows what tactics federal prosecutors will use in an animal crush case. Our law firm can handle the most complex federal cases and has earned a reputation in Utah for aggressively defending our clients.
Contact us online or call our office at 801-651-1512 to set up a free initial consultation about your case.
