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 and had a court appearance. 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.”
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Author: Faith Novak
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