Twin Cities Man Ran 'Sickening' YouTube Animal Torture Channel: Feds

CARVER, MN — A Twin Cities man is facing federal charges after prosecutors said he operated "pay-per-view" YouTube channels where animals were tortured and killed.

Bryan Wesley Edison, 32, of Carver, has been indicted on 16 counts of animal crushing, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.

Federal prosecutors say that since 2022, Edison has posted nearly 350 videos showing birds, rabbits, guinea pigs, lizards, dogs, snapping turtles, and other animals being drowned, crushed, suffocated, impaled, skinned, and dismembered.

Some of the videos were free to the public, while others were available only to paying subscribers.

Memberships ranged from $0.99 to $99.99 per month, with higher tiers granting access to custom torture videos commissioned by members, prosecutors said.

Edison also created logos for his channels, including "Prince’s Pet Planet" and "Prince’s Chomp Squad," and advertised merchandise for sale.

"YouTube ultimately removed the channels for multiple and severe violations of its policy on violence," officials said.

Thompson called the case "sickening," adding: “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.”

The case is being prosecuted under the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act (PACT Act), a 2019 law that expanded the federal "crush video" statute to criminalize intentional cruelty such as crushing, drowning, burning, or suffocating animals.

The FBI Minneapolis Field Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew D. Evans is prosecuting.