Warning: This story contains references to suicide, sexual abuse, violence, graphic material and language, which may frustrate some readers.
Two men were arrested and charged with running an international child exploitation business called 764, which targets vulnerable minors online and coerces themselves to harm, making child sexual abuse of themselves and participating in violence, including animal abuse, and even suicide.
Prasan Nepal, 20, was arrested in North Carolina by using the nickname “Trippy” in the 764 network. According to police, Leonidas Varagiannis is a 21-year-old American citizen known as the “war.”
They allegedly led a core subgroup called 764 Inferno, which operates using an encrypted messaging platform. Police said the men exploited at least eight minors, some at the age of 13.
An online investigator named Becca said: “The information in criminal proceedings is disgusting. For her safety, we only use her name.
CBC Fifth Manor Last year, the first investigation of 764 and its related teams has since been found victims around the world A red deer in Alta.called the Trinity.
The Trinity Identity CBC agreed to protect her safety, first informing the Royal Canadian Mounted Police of her allegations of exploitation of 764 members to the July 2021, but they didn't hear from them until last year after the FBI requested a meeting with her.
In a meeting with two law enforcement teams in May 2024, she provided officials with a list of names of 764 perpetrators, who she said had exploited her through discord and telegrams.
One of the names on this list is trippy.
Neither she nor her mother wanted to comment on the arresters, saying they were trying to get out of their ordeal.
- Watch the full documentary “Trailed: Online Horror Network”, from Fifth Manor exist Youtube.
Fifth Manor Also accepted A Canadian father, whose 15-year-old daughter, recently committed suicide after being exploited by 764 other members for at least two years.
CBC is not going to name his daughter and for his own safety. His father said he continued to be harassed by people he suspected was part of the network.
He said the news of the arrest “give me hope,” adding that awareness, especially to parents and authorities, is crucial. He said he missed early signs of his daughter's exploitation, including self-harm.
“That's the part I hate, it's happening in front of me, I don't recognize it,” he said.
Since the investigation 764 Fifth Manor Her teenage daughter was killed by 764 members for two years, said with another parent. The parents also said her daughter had contacted Varagiannis online. The CBC has not independently verified the claim.
She also asked not to get the name for her family’s privacy and security.
She said she hopes the arrest will reduce the network's contact with other victims.
“I also hope this will warn other members or potential members that it is only a matter of time before their violence, predatory behavior catches up with them and that they are forced to face their own justice.”
Investigate the so-called top leaders
Nepal has been involved in 764 in 764 since its inception in 2020, according to affidavits and criminal proceedings in the U.S. District Court of Columbia.
Cadenhead created 764 in 2020 at the age of 15 and was named after his region code in Stephenville, Texas. He pleaded guilty to promoting child pornography in 2023 and was sentenced to 80 years in prison for pleading guilty.
Varagiannis is believed to have joined in December 2023 as co-leader of 764 Inferno, which is reserved for 764’s internal core members and is only invited.
According to police, Nepal and Valaginis have strict access to the 764 rules. Potential members must produce and share content that typically includes child sexual abuse material and images of self-harm of the victim.
“These defendants are accused of orchestrating one of the most outrageous online child exploitation businesses we have ever encountered,” U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a media release Wednesday.
Nepal and Valagiannis, as well as two others, allegedly created a guide to how to create “content” and struggle with mental illness through targeting vulnerable “e-girls”.
According to the affidavit, Nepal posted a step-by-step instructions on how to modify the victim in a chat on May 27, 2024.
“Go to Reddit…or Twitter,” he said in typing. “[Find a] A community of self-harm, talking to a girl who is like a normal friend”, “and then attract her with the way you like her cut. ”
According to police, the content includes materials for sexual exploitation and images of underage girls who were forced to cut the names of team members into their skin.
Members reportedly compiled the images and videos into what they call “LoreBooks,” which are considered valuable currencies in the group, often used to gain 764's infamous reputation and recruit more members.
Experts say the arrest is “significant”
Becca called the arrest “mainly important” and said the two were charged with running a global criminal network rather than a charge of personal pornography, which illustrates how serious the police are to the threat.
“They are working to get these guys charged with a heavier crime and sentence.”
Beka said the arrest in Nepal is particularly important because he is not only the self-proclaimed leader of 764, but also its most active member, and he created new telegram and discord channels to keep the group going while the platform they operates prohibits other accounts.
She added that 764 has several branches, but during the study, she said she found that a predator can have dozens or even hundreds of victims.
“The impact is huge because of all the kids who may be saved because one person is no longer on the internet.”
Beka said the arrests in Nepal also caused panic in 764 chat rooms as authorities continue to crack down on the Internet. “This is really good news. We want them to run on the back.”
Father talking to father Fifth Manor The victim about his daughter in 764 said he had contacted police for more than a year before her daughter claimed her life and said he initially felt dismissed by authorities.
He said he plans to direct his grief to advocacy and called on social media platforms to do more to protect children online.
“I'm still shocked by that,” he said. “Our agency is slowly opposing things that move quickly.”
764 poses a threat to escalate violence
Fifth Manor Several experts and law enforcement officers have been spoken to, who say police are now more aware of the threat. They said 764 stood out because of their level of violence and the age of members, many of whom were minors themselves.
In Canada, extremist researchers say there may be perpetrators and thousands of potential victims nationwide.
The group poses an escalating threat globally when it comes to alliances with other violent online groups that promote mass killings and targeted attacks.
Other violence has also been linked to 764 people, including a school shooting in Nashville earlier this year, a stabbing in Sweden last fall and a 2022 murder of an elderly woman in Romania.
Police have also thwarted deadly plots associated with British and American groups in recent months. In Italy, police arrested a member last month who said they were in the advanced stages of a plan to kill vulnerable groups.
The RCMP's counterterrorism department is conducting 764 investigations in Canada and publishes National Public Warning About the group last August. Police here arrested at least two 764 members.
response Fifth ManorThe RCMP said in an email that it had requested comment on the latest arrests and whether there were any Canadian victims linked to the accused, and said it worked closely with its international partners and had no comment on ongoing or potential investigations and investigations conducted by other countries.
It added: “Protecting Canadians from violent extremism with ideological motivations, such as crimes in 764 remained a priority for the RCMP.”
As for Nepal and Valaginis, if convicted, the minimum sentence for the company exploitation of a business is 20 years, with the highest life in prison.
If you or someone you know is struggling, please seek help here:
If you or someone you know is being exploited, you can report it to the tips for online sexual exploitation of children in the Canadian country:
If you think someone is in danger, call 9-1-1.
