April 30 (UPI) -- Two men, one a Greek-American, were arrested as the alleged kingpins of the violent "764" online network, the U.S. Justice Department announced Wednesday.
Leonidas Varagiannis, 21, and Prasad Nepal, 20, were charged for allegedly operating the notorious international child exploitation enterprise known as "764," which is a network of nihilistic violent extremists who engage in criminal conduct in the United States and abroad, seeking to destroy civilized society through the corruption and exploitation of vulnerable populations, which often targets minors.
"These arrests expose one of the most disturbing online child exploitation networks we've ever encountered," NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch said in a release, calling 764 a group that glorifies "violence, weaponized abuse and targeted children to advance a deeply depraved ideology."
Varagiannis, who was also known as "War," is a U.S. citizen residing in Thessaloniki, Greece, and was arrested Tuesday by Greek authorities.
Nepal, who goes by "Trippy," is based in North Carolina. He was arrested on April 22 and had an initial court showing.
Both defendants are awaiting pending court hearings in Washington.
"The allegations in this case are not only disturbing, they are also every parent's nightmare," stated acting U.S. Attorney Ed Martin.
Varagiannis and Nepal were attributed with "core leadership roles" who lead a core subgroup within 764 known as "764 Inferno," which operated under the radar in encrypted messaging apps such as Signal, Telegram or gaming systems and sought to recruit others while maintaining digital logbooks of illicit information.
Last month, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation released a public warning on 764 pointing to a "sharp increase" in group activity as FBI officials outlined relevant information and safety advice.
As alleged, the two men directed, participated in or otherwise caused production and distribution of child sexual abuse material, and "facilitated the grooming, manipulation and extortion" of minors while instructing other co-conspirators on tactics.
Martin says the number of victims allegedly exploited by the defendants were "staggering" along with the "depths of depravity."
According to court documents, the pair allegedly "exploited" no fewer than eight victims, all minors, across several jurisdictions. Some of the content, according to court documents, was traced to victims as young as 13 in activities that spanned from late 2020 to this year.
They allegedly ordered their victims to commit acts of self-harm and "engaged in psychological torment and extreme violence against minors," officials said.
Officials added that in "multiple" instances, the suspects threatened and caused victims to engage in multiple acts like self-mutilation, which included "cut signs" or "blood signs" in which a young girl would carve a symbol into her body.
Earlier this month, 28-year-old Jose Henry Ayala Casamiro from California was arrested and charged for being a 764 member, followed by December's arrest of Baron Martin, 20, of Arizona who was accused of cyberstalking and producing child porn material.
Their torment also includes online and in-person sexual acts; animal cruelty; the sexual exploitation of siblings or others; and acts and threat of violence, suicide and murder.
"Justice demands that our response be swift in order to ensure public safety, hold the wrongdoers accountable, and bring the victims some sense of closure so they can heal," Martin added.
If convicted, Nepal and Varagiannis face a maximum penalty of life in prison.
