Federal law enforcement is sounding the alarm over an online child predator network called "764," with the FBI saying it has opened 250 investigations across all of its 55 field offices into a group an agent said looks to "sow chaos" and "bring down society."
The loose network of violent predators befriend teenagers through popular online platforms and then coerce them into escalating sexual and violent behavior, ABC News reported Wednesday.
"We see a lot of bad things, but this is one of the most disturbing things we're seeing," FBI Assistant Director David Scott told ABC News. He heads the FBI's Counterterrorism Division, which is now leading many of the government's investigations tied to 764.
On April 30, the Department of Justice announced the arrests of two alleged 764 leaders. Leonidas Varagiannis, 21, a U.S. citizen residing in Thessaloniki, Greece, and Prasan Nepal, 20, of North Carolina, were charged with operating an international child exploitation enterprise. Varagiannis was arrested April 29 in Greece; and Nepal on April 22 in North Carolina. Court hearings in Washington, D.C., are pending for both defendants.
"These defendants are accused of orchestrating one of the most heinous online child exploitation enterprises we have ever encountered – a network built on terror, abuse, and the deliberate targeting of children," Attorney General Pam Bondi said April 30 in a statement. "We will find those who exploit and abuse children, prosecute them, and dismantle every part of their operation."
Scott said the FBI has seen victims as young as 9, and federal authorities have indicated there could be thousands of victims from around the world, according to ABC News. Prosecutors alleged that Varagiannis and Nepal exploited at least eight minor victims across multiple jurisdictions, with some content traced back to children as young as 13. The network’s activities spanned from late 2020 through early 2025, with core leadership roles attributed to both defendants throughout that time.
Scott described one of the main goals of 764 and similar networks is to "sow chaos" and "bring down society." That's why the FBI's Counterterrorism Division and the DOJ’s National Security Division are now looking at 764 and its offshoots as a potential form of domestic terrorism, even coining a new term to characterize the most heinous actors: "nihilistic violent extremists."
"The more gore, the more violence ... that raises their stature within the groups," Scott told ABC News. "So, it's sort of a badge of honor within some of these groups to actually do the most harm to victims."
According to an ABC News review of cases from across the country, state and federal authorities over the past few years have arrested at least 15 people on child pornography or weapons-related charges, and accused them in court of being associated with 764.
In a federal case, a 24-year-old Arkansas man, Jairo Tinajero, plotted to murder a 14-year-old girl who was resisting his demands. When he pleaded guilty to conspiracy and child pornography charges three months ago, Tinajero said he believed the murder would raise his stature within the 764 network, according to ABC News. His sentencing is set for August.
In another federal case, Jack Rocker, 19, of Tampa, Florida, amassed a collection of more than 8,300 videos and images that the DOJ called "some of the most horrific, evil content available on the Internet." He pleaded guilty in January to possessing child sexual abuse material and was sentenced to seven years in prison.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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