764 was founded in 2021 by Bradley Cadenhead, a teenager from Stephenville, Texas; the group derives its name from the town's ZIP Code.[14][3][15] The network is most present on Discord and Telegram and usually targets children aged 8 to 17, particularly marginalized children or those suffering from mental health challenges.[16][17][18] Victims are often forced to commit recorded acts of self-harm and animal cruelty to disseminate internally or share on social media platforms,[19][7] asked to carve names on their skin as "cutsigns" (a form of branding to show their subjugation by the group),[13][20][17] and given the end goal of committing suicide on livestream for the network's entertainment or for the perpetrator's own sense of fame within the network.[2][21]
Background
Due to the network's decentralized nature, numerous different sub-groups exist under different names; these sub-groups include CVLT, Court, Kaskar, Harm Nation, Leak Society, 7997, 8884, 2992, 555, Slit Town, 545, 6996, 404, NMK, 696, 984, 1378, 303, SR1, XVN, H3ll, and No Lives Matter.[22][21][23][24] When aggregated, the community surrounding these groups is commonly referred to as "the com", shorthand for "the Community".[21][17] Law enforcement estimated in 2024 that "the com" network includes hundreds of such members who engage in extortion and harassment using various cybercriminal tactics such as swatting or doxing, as well as thousands engaged in other cybercriminal activities.[3]
764 was founded by then-15-year-old Bradley Chance Cadenhead of Stephenville, Texas, who used the username "Felix" on Discord.[14] Cadenhead, who was bullied in school before dropping out in 2021, learned to groom and extort minors on a sextortion Discord server named CVLT.[14][3][25] CVLT, which was founded in 2019 by 23-year-old Rohan R., an Indian business student living in France, often blackmailed victims into recording child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and "degrading" acts for commercial gain.[26][27] Rohan R. told a French court that he was inspired by neo-Nazi and Islamophobic rhetoric as well as a desire to build a "reserve of slaves" to fuel his "sadism".[28]
CVLT, and later Cadenhead's 764, sought ideological inspiration from the Order of Nine Angles (O9A), with The Guardian describing the group as an "offshoot" of O9A.[29] This involved the adoption of various esoteric ideas and tenets, including neo-Nazism, Western esotericism, Satanism, Wicca, and making apparent "blood covenants" to Satan.[29][30] The network later entered a "partnership" with the neo-fascist Russian and Ukrainian "Maniac Murder Cult", which gained notoriety for attacks against homeless people.[31][21][19] The alleged leader of the "Maniac Murder Cult", 20-year-old Michail "Commander Butcher" Chkhikvishvili, was arrested in Moldova and extradited to New York where he faces federal hate crime charges for plotting to poison Jewish children.[32]
Response
The FBI has opened 250 investigations concerning 764 spanning all 55 field offices as of May 2025.[33] In September 2023, the FBI published their first bulletin warning the public of the network.[34]
In July 2024, RCMP Newfoundland and Labrador published a news release warning parents of various groups, after an anonymous tip of a child being targeted online was linked to the network.[13] Another news release reminding the public of the groups was published by RCMP a month later.[12] RCMP maintains an information page for "the com".[35]
In August 2024, U.S. Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) pressed Discord regarding "[their] failure to safeguard minors and stop the proliferation of violent predatory groups" in response to the FBI bulletin regarding 764.[36] In May 2025, FBI director Kash Patel called the group "deeply disturbing" and added that it was "critically important to understand what's out there and be aware of the threats American kids and families are facing every day".[37]
According to Der Spiegel, 764-related arrests have been made for child pornography, kidnapping and murder in at least eight countries, including two men in Germany.[17] The FBI estimates that thousands of children have fallen prey to 764 and similar groups.[17] The Australian Federal Police claimed that they were intensifying efforts to disrupt networks linked to 764.[38]
2021
Mug shot of Kaleb Merritt from 2021In February 2021, a 22-year-old member of CVLT, Kaleb Christopher Merritt of Spring, Texas, kidnapped and raped a 12-year-old girl in Virginia, United States. He was convicted and sentenced to 350 years in prison.[39][26][20] Cadenhead's splinter group also leveraged animal torture, incest, rape, self-harm, and bestiality from their victims.[7][15][19]
The "covenant signed in blood" found in 764 member Angel Almeida's New York homeIn November 2021, 22-year-old Angel Almeida of Queens, New York, United States, was arrested for his involvement in the network and possession of a firearm while being a felon.[30][29] Found inside Almeida's house was a bloodied piece of paper with a sketch of the Zodiac Killer alongside runic symbols and other memorabilia of the Order of Nine Angles.[30] Almeida's arrest tipped off law enforcement on the 764 network.[29]
In November 2021, an American man who was stranded in Kyrgyzstan died by self-immolation for an audience on Discord. He had been encouraged to broadcast his suicide by a 15-year-old Eastern European girl he met online who herself had links to 764.[40]
2023
17-year-old member Nino Luciano H., known as "Tobbz", livestreamed himself attacking an 82-year-old man in March 2022,[3] and two weeks later he livestreamed his fatal stabbing of a 74-year-old woman, whom he believed to be Roma, on a 764-affiliated Discord server.[31][41][42] This was allegedly so he could "prove himself" as a member of the "Maniac Murder Cult".[31] He was sentenced to 14 years in prison in August 2023.[3]
In March 2023, 17-year-old founder Bradley Chance Cadenhead pled guilty to nine counts of possession of child pornography.[43] An Erath County judge sentenced Cadenhead to an 80-year state prison sentence, citing his self-described status as a "cult leader".[44][14] In March 2025, 23-year-old Rohan R., the founder of the CVLT group that inspired Cadenhead, was charged with torture and sextortion by the Paris Departmental Criminal Court.[27][45] He pled guilty to the charges, and the case was referred to the Paris Court of Assizes for a jury trial.[45]
After Cadenhead's arrest in August 2021, the group was led by a 21-year-old from Timișoara, Romania, named Francesco (nicknamed "Riley").[3] He was sentenced to three years in prison in August 2023 for production of child pornography, with the Romanian DIICOT citing the fact that he "subscribed to antisocial values from the Maniac Murder Cult".[31][3]
In December 2023, an 18-year-old man from Honolulu, Hawaii, was arrested for running a 764 splinter group.[46][47]
2024
In January 2024, the Brazilian Federal Police arrested two teenage leaders of a suspected splinter group in Ananindeua, Pará, and Tabatinga, Amazonas, Brazil.[48][21] The operation led by the federal police, codenamed "Discórdia", carried out seven search warrants in five Brazilian states.[48][47]
Items recovered during a search warrant at Richard "Rabid" Densmore's homeIn January 2024, 47-year-old member Richard Anthony Reyna Densmore of Kaleva, Michigan, United States, was indicted on federal child pornography charges.[10] Densmore, who was known as "Rabid" and ran a splinter group named "Sew3r", was later sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty.[49][2] Following Densmore's sentencing, Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department's National Security Division said that the group sought to do "unspeakable harm to children to advance their goals of destroying civilized society, fomenting civil unrest, and ultimately collapsing government institutions", he also classified the network as a "transnational threat".[2][15]
In February 2024, a 14-year-old from Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, who was linked to the network was arrested on charges of distributing child pornography, non-consensual distribution of intimate images, and possession of explosives.[50][51]
In March 2024, Kyle William Spitze, a 24-year-old from Friendsville, Tennessee, United States, who was known as "criminal" on the network, was indicted on federal child pornography charges.[26][52] Spitze garnered notoriety in 2023 for a video of his stepfather shooting him in the ear during an altercation.[52] In December 2024, he pled guilty to four of the eight crimes he was charged for.[53] He faces 30 years in prison and lifetime supervised release.[54]
In March 2024, Cameron Finnigan, a 19-year-old from Horsham, UK, known as "Acid", was arrested, and in January 2025 pleaded guilty to encouraging suicide, possessing a terrorism manual, and possessing indecent images of a child. Finnigan was subsequently sentenced to six years in jail.[55][56][57] At the time of sentencing, the BBC reported that at least four British teenagers had been arrested in connection with the activities of the group, which has blackmailed children into carrying out sexual acts, harming themselves, or even attempting suicide.[55]
In October 2024, a 14-year-old boy known as "Slain", who was a member of 764 and ran an offshoot named "No Lives Matter" (NLM), was arrested after livestreaming eight attacks and three stabbings in Hässelby, Sweden.[58][59][60]
On January 21, 2025, XVN (subgroup of 764) associate "Ching" was arrested after a U.S federal judge in New York issued an arrest warrant for him. The 17 year-old was accused of sending hundreds of bomb threats to schools and synagogues across the United States and the United Kingdom. Investigators also say he coerced American teenage girls into producing explicit materials and intimidated them into engaging in self-harm. In Romania, "Ching" had already come to the attention of local authorities after making bomb threats to hospitals and the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism. The extradition request was denied on May 13, 2025, and the authorities have five days to appeal this decision.[65][66][67]
Four CVLT members are facing maximum sentences of life in prison for the sexual abuse of at least 16 minors. They allegedly groomed and coerced the minors to produce CSAM and images of self-harm, the Department of Justice announced on January 30, 2025.[68]
On February 11, 2025, Jairo Jamie Tinajero, a member of the wider 764 network, pled guilty to various counts, among them racketeering conspiracy, possession of CSAM, and conspiracy to murder. Tinajero was a member of the splinter group 8884 and had groomed several minors to obtain CSAM from them; he also conspired with others to kill one of the minors.[69][70]
On February 12, 2025, the Italian police in Bolzano arrested a teen and charged him with participating in a terrorist organization, manufacture and use of explosive devices, possession of illegal firearms, criminal damage possession, and dissemination of child pornography. He allegedly planned to make a snuff film. He was allegedly affiliated with 764 and the Order of Nine Angles.[71][72]
764 member Aidan Harding was charged in February 2025 with possession of child pornography. Harding had also allegedly plotted a mass casualty event and possessed 20 guns.[73][70]
23-year-old Hugo Figuerola was arrested in late February 2025 in Spain for threatening a mass shooting and bombing in Valencia, leading to the mass evacuation of institutions across Valencia. He was arrested by the Civil Guard, who also confiscated his electronics. Figuerola was a member of the Order of Nine Angles and 764 and used several aliases, including NeoHitler666.[74]
On March 14, 2025, 764 member Jack Rocker of Tampa, Florida, was sentenced to seven years in prison for possession of child sexual abuse material in the form of 8,300 videos and images. He was also ordered to pay restitution to his victims.[75]
In April 2025, a 28-year-old California man was arrested on charges of attempting to possess and possession of child pornography. He made an appearance in federal court on April 3, 2025, and was remanded without bail. According to court documents, he allegedly caused minors to produce CSAM and content depicting themselves engaging in self-harm as part of his participation in the 764 network. Additionally, he was allegedly involved with an online group in the network which blackmailed minors into producing child pornography and engaging in "degrading sadistic sexual acts [and] torture sessions". Minors were also forced to carve their abusers' names on their bodies and were encouraged to commit suicide.[76]
On April 29, 2025, two members of 764—Prasan Nepal, a founder of 764 known as "Trippy",[77] and Leonidas Varagiannis, known as "War"—were charged with operating a child exploitation enterprise in connection to 764. Named as leaders of 764, they are accused of running a subgroup that was involved in producing CSAM, as well as the "grooming, manipulation, and extortion of minors". Nepal was arrested on April 22 in North Carolina,[1] while Varagiannis was arrested on April 28 in Greece, after an international notice was issued by American authorities. Extradition proceedings for Varagiannis are currently ongoing.[78] If convicted, the leaders could face life sentences in prison.[79]
In the United Kingdom, CVLT member Richard Ehiemere was convicted of fraud and possession of CSAM. Ehimere possessed stolen personal information of hundreds of people, which was used for extortion.[80] He was sentenced on May 1, 2025, to 12-months in prison (suspended for 18 months), and was given a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.[81]
On May 4, 2025, the Brazilian police arrested a 764-aligned group that planned to attack a Lady Gaga concert in Rio de Janeiro, using explosives and Molotov cocktails. The group's leader was in possession of illegal firearms and CSAM. Another member was additionally charged for livestreaming setting a homeless man on fire. Authorities also arrested and charged a third person with terrorism, who they accused of planning to perform a Satanic human sacrifice of a child or baby during the concert.[82][83]
On May 19, 2025, a 14-year-old with ties to 764 and NLM was convicted in Swedish court for stabbing a 55-year-old woman in Borås. As he was a minor, he faced no punishment, and was ordered to pay 160,000 kronor in damages to the woman.[84][85]
^Bradley Chance "Felix" Cadenhead (764) Prasan "Trippy" Nepal and Leonidas "War" Varagiannis (764 Inferno) Francesco "Riley" (764, after Cadenhead's arrest) Kalana Limkin (Cultist) "Slain" (No Lives Matter) Richard Anthony Reyna "Rabid" Densmore (Sew3r)
^Wyatt, Bill (June 16, 2022). "Texas man sentenced in rape of Bassett girl". Martinsville Bulletin. Retrieved October 22, 2024. A Texas man has been sentenced to 350 years in prison for sex crimes with a 12-year-old Bassett girl after pleading guilty as charged earlier this year. Kaleb Christopher Merritt, 22, of Spring, Texas, will serve an active sentence of 33 years and be on probation for the remainder of his life when he becomes eligible for release.
^WBIR Staff (December 10, 2024). "Blount Co. man signs plea deal after being accused of violent, sexual crimes against children". WBIR-TV. Retrieved December 22, 2024. Once he formally pleads guilty, Spitze would face a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and life on supervised release for two of the child pornography charges, seven years for the charge related to an "animal crushing video," and up to 20 years for a third child pornography charge. In exchange, Spitze would have some of his lesser charges dropped.
^"Affidavit in support of a criminal complaint and arrest warrant". justice.gov. April 15, 2025. p. 5. Retrieved May 10, 2025. Artifacts found in Individual 1's phone after his arrest include iMessages from July 1, 2021, between himself and NEPAL, in which the two discuss founding 764 together.
United States[2]
