Former Prineville man faces federal charges of role in torture, killing of monkeys, ‘animal crush’ videos

Moved to Nevada after feds raided Prineville home in January, prosecutors say

EUGENE, Ore. (KTVZ) — A federal indictment was unsealed Wednesday charging a former Prineville man with administering an online animal abuse group and illegally possessing firearms as a dismissed military officer.

David Christopher Noble, 48, has been charged 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, federal prosecutors said Thursday.

According to court documents, from an unknown date but no later than Jan. 19, 2022, and continuing until Feb. 2, 2023, Noble is alleged to have knowingly conspired with others to view, encourage, and fund animal crush videos as part of an online group using an encrypted chat application.

As a group administrator, prosecutors allege that Noble paid for the creation of and celebrated videos depicting the torture, sexually sadistic mutilation and murder of adult and juvenile monkeys. Noble further managed the group’s membership and repeatedly changed the group’s name to evade detection by law enforcement, they said.

In 2006, Noble, a former U.S. Air Force officer, was dismissed from the Air Force and ordered to serve six months in military custody following a court-martial for fraud and an unprofessional relationship. Despite these offenses, Noble is alleged to have illegally possessed multiple firearms, including a Colt M4 carbine assault rifle.

In January of this year, Noble relocated from Prineville to Henderson, Nevada after a federal search warrant was executed on his Prineville residence. On Tuesday, he was arrested in Henderson. Noble made his first appearance in federal court in Las Vegas on Wednesday and was ordered detained pending his transfer to the District of Oregon.

Creating animal crush videos is punishable by up to seven years in federal prison and three years’ supervised released. Illegally possessing a firearm as a dishonorably discharged person is punishable by up to 15 years in federal prison and three years’ supervised release.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). It is being prosecuted by William M. McLaren and Adam E. Delph, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.