CARVER COUNTY, MINNESOTA — A Carver man has been convicted on 16 federal counts of animal crushing after creating videos depicting the torture and killing of live animals and selling access to the footage online. Bryan Wesley Edison was found guilty in federal court and faces up to seven years in prison for each count. His sentencing is scheduled for March 3, 2027. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Edison created the videos over more than a year, beginning July 30, 2022, and continuing through at least October 19, 2023. Investigators said Edison filmed himself placing smaller live animals into enclosures with a large exotic reptile, allowing the reptile to attack and, in some cases, consume them. The animals were subjected to serious injuries and sometimes killed during the recordings. Edison reportedly distributed the videos online and charged viewers for access, earning at least $1,500, according to federal prosecutors. “The defendant tried to make a profit and took pleasure in torturing defenseless animals. His actions were inhumane and illegal, and with this guilty verdict, my office is delivering justice,” U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen said. What Is Animal Crushing? The U.S. Department of Justice defines animal crushing as intentionally crushing, burning, drowning, suffocating, impaling, or otherwise subjecting living mammals, birds, reptiles, or amphibians to serious bodily injury. Federal law prohibits this conduct under the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump in 2019. The legislation expanded federal protections against animal cruelty and made certain animal-crushing conduct a federal crime. Edison’s conviction follows a federal investigation into videos he created and sold over the course of the alleged scheme. He is scheduled to be sentenced March 3, 2027. Each count carries a potential prison sentence of up to seven years. Source: U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota. Edison has been convicted in federal court. His sentence will be determined by the court at the scheduled sentencing hearing.