The FBI has opened 250 investigations related to the online network of ‘764’ violence that prey on teenagers, high officials said

FBI officials said they were increasingly worried about loose violent predator networks who were friends with teenagers through popular online platforms and then forced them to increase sexual behavior and violence – encourage victims to make graphic pornography, endanger family pets, cut themselves with sharp objects, or even die with suicide.

Online Predator, part of the network known as “764,” demands victims to send them photos and videos from all, so that surprising content can be shared with fellow 764 followers or used to squeeze victims for more. Some predators even host “watching parties” for others to watch them torture victims of life online, according to the authorities.

“We see a lot of bad things, but this is one of the most disturbing things we see,” said Assistant Director of FBI David Scott, Head of the FBI Controlism Division, who now leads many US government investigations related to 764.

The FBI has more than 250 such investigations is currently underway, with every 55 field offices throughout the country handling cases related to 764, Scott told ABC News in an exclusive interview.

He said the FBI had seen several victims of nine years old, and federal authorities have indicated thousands of victims around the world.

‘Extremist violent nihilistic’

“[It’s] Very scary and scary, “Connecticut’s mother of a teenage girl who followed 764 to ABC News.

“It is very difficult to process, because we did not raise him to be involved in such activities,” said the mother, spoke on the condition that ABC News did not mention the name of her daughter.

Last year, in the classical city of New England Vernon, Connecticut, a local police arrested the girl – a former honor roll student – because he conspired with 764 worshipers abroad to direct the threat of bombs in his own community. When the police searched their device, they found photos of pornography, photos that describe self-mutilation, and photos of their respect to 764.

As Scott explained, one of the main objectives of 764 and a similar network was to “sow chaos” and “drop the community.”

That is why the FBI Controlism Division and the National Security Division of the Department of Justice now see 764 and its branches as a form of potential domestic terrorism, even creating new terms to characterize the most heinous actors: “Extremist violence is nilistic.”

“The more gore, the more violence … which improves their stature in the group,” Scott said. “So this is a kind of honorary badge in some of these groups to really do the most damage to the victims.”

According to ABC news reviews about cases throughout the country, over the past few years, state and federal authority has arrested at least 15 people with child pornography or charges related to weapons, and accusing them in courts associated with 764.

In one of the federal cases, a 24 -year -old Arkansas man, Jairo Tinajero, planned to kill a 14 -year -old girl who began to reject his demands. When he pleaded guilty to the conspiracy and pornography of children three months ago, Tinajero said he was sure the murder would increase his stature in the 764 network. His sentence was set for August.

In other federal cases, Jack Rocker from Tampa who was 19 years old collected a collection of more than 8,300 videos and images called the Department of Justice “Some of the most terrible evil content available on the internet.” He pleaded guilty in January for having material sexual harassment and was sentenced to seven years in prison.

While gathering his collection, the rocker set the digital content into folders with titles such as “764” and “KKK-Racist.” Another folder, called “trophy,” contains photos of victims who carved their online monikers into their bodies-one form of self-mutilation known as “signing of fans.” He also has a folder titled “ISIS,” referring to the international terrorist organization that produces a barbaric beheading video.

Followers from 764 networks shared all kinds of violent content with their victims, while some also glorified mass-mass attacks such as the shooting of the 1999 Columbine High School, or introduced victims to other extreme ideologies such as Neo-Nazism or Satanism, according to the authorities.

“They want to make these young people insensitive so that no one is really bothering them,” Scott said.

Only two weeks ago, the Department of Justice announced the arrest of a 20 -year -old North Carolina man, Prasan Nepal, for allegedly operating an elite online club dedicated to promoting 764, blackmailing young victims, and producing terrible content. He has not been charged.

In filling in the document, the Department of Justice said Nepal helped launch 764 with the founder based in Texas more than four years ago.

Although the filling document did not identify the name of the founder, the sources of federal law enforcement identified it to ABC News as Bradley Cadenhead, who served 80 years in Texas after claiming to be guilty of several accusations related to child pornography in 2023.

According to court documents, Cadenhead launched his new online community on the social platform of disputes and called it “764” because at that time – when he was 15 – he lived in Stephenville, Texas, where the postal code began with the number 764.

‘This is everywhere’

Since the launch of the early 764 group, which gathered several hundred followers of disputes, 764 has become a global movement, with a series of branches and sub -groups that often change their image and change their names to help maintain social media companies and law enforcement from tracking them.

The original 764 itself is a branch of the previous extremist group and focused on online gores.

“Think about this as a group, and think more as an ideology,” said Police Detective Vernon Tommy Van Tasel about 764 and similar networks. “It doesn’t matter what they call. There are many actors out there … encourage this type of behavior. So everywhere. There is in every community.”

Indeed, the young Connecticut girl who will eventually be investigated by Van Tasel was sucked into 764 by a man abroad.

Reflecting what his family described as a typical 764 meeting, the girl met him on the Roblox popular online game platform, and then they began to communicate more regularly online, including disputes, who serve gamers.

The man convinced him that he was his girlfriend, and he sent him sexual photos about himself – the type of picture threatened by 764 adherents to share broadly if the victims did not comply with their increasing demands.

According to the police, he has produced various kinds of content related to 764, including photos of naked barbie dolls marked by “764” on his forehead; Photographs depicting him cut himself; And a note, written with his blood, calling him a boyfriend who should be “God.”

“They feel like they have it,” said the girl’s mother.

And, afraid of further extortion, the girl began to participate in some of the same threatening behaviors as he had experienced himself, according to Van Tasel.

Scott said it was common to “have victims who later became subjects” by taking action “on behalf of individuals who were victims.”

According to her family, Connecticut girls are trained to hack Roblox’s account and lock it – which allows her to make the demands of the account owner if they want their account back. And he allegedly helped direct a series of threats that shook Vernon regional schools for three months at the end of 2023 and early last year.

“I have placed two explosives in front of Rockville High School, and if they failed to explode, I would walk there and I would only shoot every child I saw,” a man with an English accent claimed during a call to the Vernon police at the end of January 2024.

The threat -the threat brought Van Tasel to the girl whose mother talked to ABC News. The girl was arrested on accusations related to conspiracy and referred to the Youth Court.

But even before his arrest, he began to reject some of the demands directed at him. As a result, his family’s home was bombarded by an incident called “patting,” when a false report on crime or violence tried to encourage the SWAT team to respond to the location in an effort to intimidate the target there.

“One time … they surrounded all of our houses,” said the girl’s mother. “And then it keeps going on.”

Scott said Swatting was a common tactic used by adherents 764 and similar networks when they did not get compliance.

The man in the heart of the trial of the Connecticut girl is still being investigated by the authorities, according to Van Tasel.

‘Alert’

Van Tasel and Scott offers some tips to parents who are worried whether their children can become victims of 764. Specifically, they say parents should watch what their children do in applications and online games.

A spokesman for Roblox agreed, said in a statement to ABC News that parents must be “involved in open conversations about online safety,” especially because 764 “is known for using various online platforms” to avoid online protection.

A discord spokesman, meanwhile, said that 764 was “industrial problems,” and that “terrible actions 764 did not have a place in disputes or in the community.”

The two spokesperson said that each of their companies was “committed” to provide a safe and safe online environment for users, with the two note that each company uses technology to eliminate dangerous content and, with policies, prohibit behavior that endangers children.

Discord added that “behind the scenes” made “disclosure of proactive information to law enforcement” and, “if possible,” the authorities help in building cases of Nepal, who allegedly helped launch 764.

Van Tasel and Scott said parents must also look for changes in the activities or personality of their children, and watch the injury questioned in family pets or evidence of self-injury.

Scott said that if a child wears long-sleeved clothes or trying to cover their bodies on hot days, it can be a sign that hurt himself.

“Beware of all things that are worrying, and only in your mind that this might all be the result of what happens online,” said Van Tasel, urged parents to call law enforcers if they have problems.

As for the Connecticut girl who was trapped in 764, her mother told ABC News that she worked with the authorities, the case against her was “almost resolved,” and she is now “back to the path” after getting help.

“Back to have friends, back to attend activities,” said his mother. “It’s not enough to go back to his place when everything starts, but he gets there.”