Two American degenerates behind “764” violent online network taken down by FBI

Two American degenerates, one of them not even 21 years old, are arrested and charged by the US Justice Department (DoJ) for being the brains behind the violent child exploitation ring known around the world as “764.”

21-year-old Leonidas Varagiannis, also known as "War," was arrested on Monday in Greece, where he was currently residing, and 20-year-old Prasan Nepal, also known as "Trippy," was arrested in his home state of North Carolina on April 22nd.

Both American citizens – now facing life in prison if convicted – are charged with “operating an international child exploitation enterprise in connection with a nihilistic violent extremist (NVE) network known as 764” in core leadership roles from late 2020 through early 2025.

Nepal was said to have taken over operations after one of the main facilitators of the group, a 47-year-old man from Michigan, was arrested in 2021 and later sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for child sexual exploitation and creating the network.

The extremist online network, which targets minors – specifically blackmailing underage girls to make sadistic and sexually explicit videos for its web members – has ramped up its activity in recent months, the FBI had warned the public in March.

According to FBI director Kash Patel, the two alleged leaders are said to have proactively recruited other violent abusers to exploit underage victims, and actually created a how-to guide “for the disgusting online content they wanted.”

“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,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “We will find those who exploit and abuse children, prosecute them, and dismantle every part of their operation.”

Leaders of 764 Arrested and Charged for Operating Global Child Exploitation Enterprise

🔗: https://t.co/05FsbpWgnJ pic.twitter.com/EnkKGb9ldC

undefined National Security Division, U.S. Dept of Justice (@DOJNatSec) April 30, 2025

The accused duo, along with several co-conspirators are said to have communicated though various internet-based groups and channels, including a private chat group, known as “764 Inferno,” hosted on an encrypted messaging application.

The ‘764 Inferno’ private chat group was reserved for “inner core” members personally invited by Nepal and Varagiannis, the DoJ compliant said.

Varagiannis and Nepal are suspected of directing, participating in, and otherwise causing the production and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), as well as facilitating the grooming, manipulation, and extortion of minors.

The two men allegedly targeted vulnerable children online, zeroing in on underage girls with mental health problems, and ordered their victims to film acts of self-mutilation, including “cut signs” and “blood signs” symbols carved into their bodies, as well as other degrading and sexually explicit content.

The inner core would use the "gory and violent material" to create digital “Lorebooks,” which served as digital currency within the network. The books would be traded, archived in encrypted “vaults,” and used as a means to recruit new members or maintain status within the network, the FBI said.

The alleged 764 leaders are charged with exploiting at least eight minor victims across multiple jurisdictions, with some content traced back to children as young as 13 years old.

Earlier this month, 28-year-old Jose Henry Ayala Casamiro of San Fernando Valley, California was also arrested and charged for his involvement in the sadistic group.

Vile group coached children to commit sucicide

764’s self-proclaimed goals are to destroy civilized society and cause the downfall of the current world order, including the US government, all through the corruption and exploitation of vulnerable populations, often by targeting minors, and causing social unrest, the court documents state.

Members of 764 have also engaged in acts of real-world violence, such as destroying property, spray-painting 764 monikers and iconography on public buildings, physical abuse of animals, and physical assaults on people, including stabbings and attempted murder.

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) released a Public Service Announcement in March warning of a sharp increase in "764" activities, as well as other violent online groups targeting children.

“These networks use threats, blackmail, and manipulation to coerce or extort victims into producing, sharing, or live-streaming acts of self-harm, animal cruelty, sexually explicit acts, and/or suicide,” the FBI bulletin said.

“The footage is then circulated among members of the network to continue to extort victims and exert control over them,” it said, noting that victims are being targeted worldwide. Abusers continue to control their victims through extreme fear, often threatening to share the explicit content publicly or with family and friends.

Many members have an end goal of forcing the victims to live-stream their own suicide – and even murder – for the network's entertainment or the threat actor's own sense of fame.

🚨 CRITICAL ALERT FOR PARENTS! The #FBI is sharing crucial information about a new threat to kids' safety. Watch this video from @FBIRichmond for more details: https://t.co/ppmjhU3gYp.https://t.co/Cg1GFvElfb

undefined FBI (@FBI) April 4, 2025

Using social media and gaming platforms popular among young teens, the threat actors “systematically target underage females, typically between the ages of 10 and 17 years old,” however, adult men and women have also been targeted, the FBI said.

To protect children from becoming victims, the FBI says parents should look out for specific signs, such as:

• Fresh cuts, bruises, wounds, and scars in unusual patterns
• Sudden behavior and appearance changes
• Noticing the child wearing long sleeves or pants in unusual circumstances
• Monitoring online activity and discussing the risks of sharing information and content
• Running frequent online searches of family and children’s information to help identify and prevent the spread of personal information on the internet

Parents should also look out for any unexpected packages, as the 764 members have been known to send children razor blades, sexual devices, gifts, and other materials intended for use in creating online content, the FBI warning said.

The case against Nepal and Varagiannis was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a US nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the DoJ.