Overview

• The Justice Department announced the four-year prison sentence for Giancarlo Morelli following his January guilty plea.
• A 2024 indictment says Morelli sent 28 payments of $40 to $379 to Nicholas T. Dryden, who then forwarded money to a child in Indonesia to carry out requested acts.
• Prosecutors say Morelli paid for at least 20 videos and offered feedback through private online groups documented in early 2023.
• Dryden is accused of directing and creating content and sending messages encouraging extreme violence, while Iowa attorney Philip Colt Moss faces related charges.
• The case is being prosecuted under the Animal Crush Prohibition Act and the PACT Act, and authorities say 11 additional defendants have been indicted.