Prineville man pleads guilty for producing, distributing monkey mutilation videos

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A Prineville man who was dismissed from the Air Force has pleaded guilty in connection to a conspiracy to produce and share videos of monkeys being tortured, mutilated and murdered for profit.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon, 48-year-old David Christopher Noble appeared in federal court on Wednesday.

In 2006, the agency said Noble was dismissed as a U.S. Air Force officer and sentenced to six months in military custody after a court martial for fraud and an unprofessional relationship.

Between January 2022 and February 2023, officials reported that Noble joined others across Oregon and the U.S. in sending money overseas to fund videos showcasing monkey abuse. They also reported that Noble managed an online group that allowed people to fundraise for, contribute ideas for and distribute the content.

While executing a search warrant that February, officials said they found around 50 animal abuse videos, multiple guns and ammunition in his home.

In May, a federal grand jury in Eugene indicted Noble “with conspiring to engage in animal crushing and creating and distributing animal crush videos, creating animal crush videos, and illegally possessing a firearm as a dishonorably discharged person.”

The Attorney’s Office said the man moved from Prineville to Henderson, Nev., following the search warrant. Law enforcement found and arrested him that June 2023, when he made his initial court appearance in Las Vegas and was ordered detained pending his return to Oregon.

According to officials, Noble returned in July. He was then ordered detained due to the nature of the offenses.

He now faces up to five years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. His sentencing is scheduled for April 24.