FBI officers say they’re rising more and more involved a couple of unfastened community of violent predators who befriend youngsters by means of popular online platforms after which coerce them into escalating sexual and violent conduct — pushing victims to create graphic pornography, hurt household pets, minimize themselves with sharp objects, and even die by suicide.
The net predators, a part of the community generally known as “764,” demand victims ship them images and movies of all of it, so the stunning content material will be shared with fellow 764 followers or used to extort victims for extra. A few of the predators even host “watch events” for others to observe them torment victims dwell on-line, in line with authorities.
“We see numerous unhealthy issues, however this is likely one of the most annoying issues we’re seeing,” mentioned FBI Assistant Director David Scott, the pinnacle of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division, which is now main lots of the U.S. authorities’s investigations tied to 764.
The FBI has greater than 250 such investigations presently underway, with each single certainly one of its 55 discipline places of work throughout the nation dealing with a 764-related case, Scott instructed ABC Information in an unique interview.
He mentioned the FBI has seen some victims as younger as 9, and federal authorities have indicated there may very well be hundreds of victims world wide.
‘Nihilistic violent extremists’
“[It’s] very scary and horrifying,” the Connecticut mom of a teen lady caught up in 764 instructed ABC Information.
“It was very troublesome to course of, as a result of we did not elevate her to have interaction in that sort of exercise,” mentioned the mom, talking on the situation that ABC Information not title her or her daughter.
An indication is seen on the outskirts of Vernon, Connecticut, Could 1, 2025.
ABC Information
Final yr, in basic New England city of Vernon, Connecticut, native police arrested the lady — a former honor roll pupil — for conspiring with a 764 devotee abroad to direct bomb threats at her personal neighborhood. When police searched her gadgets, they discovered pornographic images of her, images depicting self-mutilation, and images of her paying homage to 764.
As Scott described it, one of many most important targets of 764 and related networks is to “sow chaos” and “convey down society.”
That is why the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division and the Justice Division’s Nationwide Safety Division at the moment are taking a look at 764 and its offshoots as a possible type of home terrorism, even coining a brand new time period to characterize essentially the most heinous actors: “nihilistic violent extremists.”
“The extra gore, the extra violence … that raises their stature throughout the teams,” Scott mentioned. “So it is form of a badge of honor inside a few of these teams to really do essentially the most hurt to victims.”
In accordance with an ABC Information overview of instances throughout the nation, over the previous few years, state and federal authorities have arrested at the very least 15 folks on youngster pornography or weapons-related prices, and accused them in court docket of being related to 764.
In a type of federal instances, a 24-year-old Arkansas man, Jairo Tinajero, plotted to homicide a 14-year-old lady who began resisting his calls for. When he pleaded responsible to conspiracy and youngster pornography prices three months in the past, Tinajero mentioned he believed the homicide would elevate his stature throughout the 764 community. His sentencing is about for August.
In one other federal case, 19-year-old Jack Rocker of Tampa amassed a group of greater than 8,300 movies and pictures that the Justice Division referred to as “a number of the most horrific, evil content material accessible on the Web.” He pleaded responsible in January to possessing youngster sexual abuse materials and was sentenced to seven years in jail.
Whereas amassing his assortment, Rocker organized his digital content material into folders with titles similar to “764” and “kkk-racist.” One other folder, referred to as “trophies,” contained images of victims who carved his on-line monikers into their our bodies — a type of self-mutilation generally known as “fan signing.” He additionally had a folder titled “ISIS,” referring to the worldwide terrorist group that produced barbaric beheading movies.
Followers of the 764 community share all types of violent content material with their victims, whereas some additionally glorify previous mass-casualty assaults such because the 1999 Columbine Excessive Faculty capturing, or introduce victims to different excessive ideologies like neo-Nazism or Satanism, in line with authorities.
“They need to desensitize these younger folks in order that nothing actually disturbs them anymore,” Scott mentioned.
Simply two weeks in the past, the Justice Division introduced the arrest of a 20-year-old North Carolina man, Prasan Nepal, for allegedly working an elite on-line membership devoted to selling 764, extorting younger victims, and producing horrific content material. He has but to be arraigned.
An undated photograph exhibits Bradley Cadenhead, the founding father of the preliminary “764” group, who’s serving an 80-year jail sentence in Texas after pleading responsible to a number of youngster pornography-related prices.
Texas Division of Felony Justice
In charging paperwork, the Justice Division mentioned Nepal helped launch 764 with its Texas-based founder greater than 4 years in the past.
Although charging paperwork do not establish the founder by title, federal legislation enforcement sources recognized him to ABC Information as Bradley Cadenhead, who’s serving an 80-year-prison sentence in Texas after pleading responsible to a number of youngster pornography-related prices in 2023.
In accordance with court docket paperwork, Cadenhead launched his new on-line neighborhood on the social platform Discord and referred to as it “764” as a result of on the time — when he was 15 — he lived in Stephenville, Texas, the place the ZIP code begins with the numbers 764.
‘It is in all places’
For the reason that launch of the preliminary 764 group, which garnered a few hundred Discord followers, 764 has turn out to be a worldwide motion, with an array of offshoots and subgroups that usually rebrand and alter their names to assist maintain social media firms and legislation enforcement from monitoring them.
The unique 764 was itself an offshoot of earlier extremist and gore-focused teams on-line.
“Consider this much less as a bunch, and consider it extra as an ideology,” Vernon police detective Tommy Van Tasel mentioned of 764 and related networks. “It would not matter what they’re referred to as. There are numerous actors on the market … encouraging this kind of conduct. So it is in all places. It is in each neighborhood.”
Certainly, the younger Connecticut lady that Van Tasel would finally examine was sucked into 764 by a person abroad.
Reflecting what her household described as a typical 764-related encounter, the lady met him on the favored on-line gaming platform Roblox, after which they started speaking extra usually on-line, together with on Discord, which caters to avid gamers.
The person satisfied her he was her boyfriend, and she or he despatched him sexual images of herself — the forms of photographs that 764 adherents threaten to share extensively if victims do not adjust to their escalating calls for.
An undated photograph discovered by Vernon, Connecticut, police on the gadgets of a 17-year-old lady related to the web community 764 exhibits a Barbie Doll marked with “764.”
Vernon Police Division
In accordance with police, she had produced an assortment of 764-related content material, together with a photograph of a nude Barbie doll marked with “764” on its brow; images depicting her slicing herself; and a be aware, written in her blood, calling her supposed boyfriend “a god.”
“They felt like they owned her,” the lady’s mom mentioned.
And, fearing even additional extortion, the lady started collaborating in a number of the similar threatening conduct that she had endured herself, in line with Van Tasel.
Scott mentioned it’s normal to “have victims who then turn out to be topics” by perpetrating acts “on behalf of the person who victimized them.”
In accordance with her household, the Connecticut lady was educated to hack into Roblox accounts and lock them — which allowed her to make calls for of account homeowners in the event that they wished their accounts again. And she or he allegedly helped direct a collection of threats that rattled Vernon-area faculties for 3 months in late 2023 and early final yr.
“I’ve positioned two explosives in entrance of Rockville Excessive Faculty, and in the event that they fail to detonate, I will stroll into there and I am simply going to shoot each child I see,” a male with a British accent claimed throughout a name to Vernon police in late January 2024.
Rockville Excessive Faculty in Vernon, Connecticut, is seen on Could 1, 2025.
ABC Information
These threats led Van Tasel to the lady whose mom spoke with ABC Information. The lady was arrested on conspiracy-related prices and referred to juvenile court docket.
However even earlier than her arrest, she had began to withstand a number of the calls for that had been being directed at her. Consequently, her household’s residence was bombarded by incidents of so-called “swatting,” when false stories of crimes or violence attempt to induce SWAT groups to reply to a location in an effort to intimidate targets there.
“One time … they’d surrounded our entire home,” the lady’s mom mentioned. “After which that stored occurring and on.”
Scott mentioned swatting is a typical tactic utilized by adherents of 764 and related networks when they do not get compliance.
The person on the coronary heart of the Connecticut lady’s ordeal continues to be beneath investigation by authorities, in line with Van Tasel.
‘Be looking out’
Van Tasel and Scott provided a number of tricks to mother and father nervous about whether or not their youngsters might fall sufferer to 764. Specifically, they mentioned mother and father ought to watch what their youngsters are doing on purposes and on-line video games.
A spokesperson for Roblox agreed, saying in an announcement to ABC Information that folks ought to “have interaction in open conversations about on-line security,” particularly as a result of 764 is “recognized for utilizing quite a lot of on-line platforms” to evade on-line safeguards.
A Discord spokesperson, in the meantime, mentioned that 764 is “an industry-wide situation,” and that the “horrific actions of 764 don’t have any place on Discord or in society.”
Each spokespeople mentioned every of their firms is “dedicated” to offering a secure and safe on-line surroundings for customers, with each noting that every firm makes use of know-how to take away dangerous content material and, by coverage, prohibits conduct endangering youngsters.
Discord added that “behind the scenes” it made “proactive disclosures of data to legislation enforcement” and, “the place potential,” assisted authorities in constructing the case in opposition to Nepal, who allegedly helped launch 764.
Vernon Police Division detective Tommy Van Tasel is seen in his workplace, Could 5, 2025
Courtesy Tommy Van Tasel
Van Tasel and Scott mentioned mother and father also needs to look out for modifications of their youngsters’s actions or character, and look ahead to questionable accidents to household pets or proof of self-harm.
Scott mentioned that if a baby is sporting long-sleeved clothes or making an attempt to cowl up their physique on scorching days, that may very well be an indication of self-harm.
“Simply be looking out for any of these issues which might be alarming, and simply have behind your thoughts that this will all be a outcome of what’s taking place on-line,” Van Tasel mentioned, urging mother and father to name legislation enforcement if they’ve considerations.
As for the Connecticut lady caught up in 764, her mom instructed ABC Information that she cooperated with authorities, the case in opposition to her is “nearly resolved,” and she or he’s now “again on observe” after getting assist.
“Again to having mates, again to attending actions,” her mom mentioned. “Not fairly again to the place she was when all of it started, however she’s getting there.”
