Michael Macartney, 50, confessed to the BBC his role in an extreme monkey torture network.

A ringleader in a global monkey torture network exposed by the BBC has been charged by US federal prosecutors.

Michael Macartney, 50, who went by the alias “Torture King”, was charged in Virginia with conspiracy to create and distribute animal-crushing videos.

Mr Macartney was one of three key distributors identified by the BBC Eye team during a year-long investigation into sadistic monkey torture groups.

Two women have also been charged in the UK following the investigation.

Warning: This article contains disturbing content

Mr Macartney, a former motorcycle gang member who previously spent time in prison, ran several chat groups for monkey torture enthusiasts from around the world on the encrypted messaging app Telegram.

    • EdibleFriend@lemmy.world
      2·
      8 months ago

      I’ve tried it more than a few times over the years. 99% of the time it’s porn and racism. It’s a website that’s best viewed at a distance with people take screenshots of the shit that’s actually worth seeing.

      • steeznson@lemmy.world
        2·
        8 months ago

        Depends on the board to be honest. The papercraft and origami one is surprisingly wholesome.

        People assume all of it is like /pol/ since that is the most famous board with the highest traffic. It does leak into the other boards with the odd thread/post here and there but would say it’s not representative of the site.