764
The 764-network is primarily active on Discord and Telegram, and to some extent on the gaming platforms Roblox and Minecraft. [13] Members of the network are involved in systematic sexual, physical, and psychological abuse of minors through sextortion and other practices, distributing child pornographic material and depictions of violence. Victims are selected from the 9- to 17-year-old age group, with a preference for children from marginalized backgrounds or those with mental health issues. [14] [15]
Founding by Bradley Chance Cadenhead
764 was founded in 2021 by Bradley Chance Cadenhead. [16] At the age of 15, school dropout Cadenhead (alias: “Felix”) learned techniques of exploiting minors and sextortion on a Discord server called CVLT and subsequently founded the 764. In the online game Minecraft, Cadenhead met an unknown person who assisted him in establishing 764. [17]
It was documented that Cadenhead had been bullied during his school years. A classmate described him as an “easy target.” In his early teens, Cadenhead suffered multiple breakdowns and was isolated. He told probation officers that he stopped caring about anything and, after dropping out of school at 15, withdrew to his room. He founded the online network and named it after the zip code of his hometown, Stephenville, Texas. [18]
Cadenhead had been noticeably disruptive as a student. It is known that, at the age of ten, he was fascinated by graphic online content depicting murder and torture. His assistant principal alerted authorities to Cadenhead, leading to an investigation into terrorist threats. Despite disciplinary measures, Cadenhead continued to use school computers to draw images of school shootings. [17]
Cadenhead extorted minors through sextortion or coerced them by threatening actions such as swatting attacks. He forced his victims, among other things, to produce child pornographic material, engage in animal cruelty, self-harm, and fansigning. Although Cadenhead’s Discord accounts were typically banned within about a day, he repeatedly created new ones. A Discord Inc. spokesperson told The Washington Post (WSP) that the company’s moderation system primarily relied on user reports. Upon learning of illegal activities, Cadenhead’s accounts were banned. The spokesperson expressed concern about retaliatory actions by 764 members and requested anonymity from the WSP. [18]
Following a house search [19] on August 25, 2021, Bradley Chance Cadenhead was arrested at the age of 16 [20] and, on May 16, 2023, at the age of 17, was convicted of possessing child pornographic files. [21] He is currently serving an 80-year prison sentence at the Estelle Unit in Huntsville, Texas. [22] [20]
Cadenhead’s behavioral therapist stated during the trial that his client needed psychological treatment rather than imprisonment. However, the judge, after reviewing video evidence from Cadenhead’s computer and listing the seven deadly sins, addressed Cadenhead directly, stating [23] :
„There is something horribly wrong with you, (...) Horribly.“
Arrests of key members of the 764 network.
On April 29, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice reported the arrest of two key members of a 764 subgroup. The 20-year-old American Prasan Nepal (alias "Trippy") was arrested on April 22, 2025, in North Carolina, and the 21-year-old American Leonidas Varagiannis (alias "War") was apprehended on April 28, 2025, in Greece. An international arrest warrant was issued against Varagiannis, and his extradition to the U.S. has been requested, which he is attempting to resist, arguing that Greek authorities should have jurisdiction due to his residence in Greece. [24] [25]
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the two suspects were accused of not only leading a 764 subgroup on an encrypted messenger but also being centrally involved in the production and distribution of child sexual abuse material. They allegedly recruited group members and created a guide for producing such material, as stated by FBI Director Kash Patel. If convicted in the U.S., Varagiannis and Nepal face life imprisonment, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. [24] [25]
According to the Global Network on Extremism & Technology (GNET), the 764 network was officially considered dissolved following the arrest of Cadenhead and other key figures. However, the network has fragmented into subgroups such as 676, CVLT, Court, Kaskar, Harm Nation, Leak Society, and H3ll. GNET notes a continuity of personnel and assumes that the 764 network continues to exist in the form of these splinter groups. [26]
Ideological influences
CVLT
According to Europol, the core principles of the CVLT network are nihilism, pedophilia, and neo-Nazism. [27]
French 23-year-old citizen of Indian descent, Rohan Sandeep Rane, founded the CVLT Discord server to discuss fascism and National Socialism. Media reports state that Rane aimed to create a space where hatred against Jews and Muslims could be expressed. Approximately 150 individuals, whom investigators have not yet identified, joined the forum. [28] Rane had been described as a "brilliant economics student." [29]
On February 5, 2025, the U.S. Immigration Service reported the arrest of two CVLT leaders, with charges also filed against two additional leaders who were already incarcerated. The four individuals were accused of operating the CVLT network as leaders and administrators, at least between 2019 and 2022. [30] One of them was Rohan Rane. According to media reports, Rane had kept 12 underage online “slaves” whom he coerced and blackmailed into production of CSAM and "degrading" acts for commercial gain. [31] [32]
In the 2025 report “The Changing DNA of Serious and Organised Crime,” which examines the influence of the internet and artificial intelligence on organized crime, Europol described CVLT as a “violent, extremist child abuse ring.” CVLT was identified as part of a larger network of violent extremists involved in child abuse. [33]
Victims of the CVLT network were coerced into degrading acts such as drinking their own urine, eating their own hair, “fansigning,” and self-harm. Additionally, victims were forced through sextortion to produce child sexual abuse material. [34]
Later, The 764 network adopted these methods and expanded sextortion to include additional forms of abuse, such as coercion into animal cruelty and self-harm. [35] [36]
O9A
The Order of Nine Angles (O9A) was founded in 1970 by an individual using the pseudonym "Anton Long." The movement is considered a secretive organization within a fluid, new religious movement, combining elements of occultism, Satanism, and mysticism. While the movement saw little activity in the 1990s and 2000s, it developed a significant online presence starting in 2008. [37]
Although there appears to be a proximity to National Socialism and right-wing extremism, such a description would not be accurate. The ideology of O9A instead promotes a fundamental amorality and teachings aimed at "transcending" moral and societal norms. [37]
A splinter group of O9A is the National Socialist Order of Nine Angles (NSO9A). [38] NSO9A is regarded as an expression of O9A's ideological influence within the Atomwaffen Division. The Atomwaffen Division announced its dissolution in 2020 [39] but continued as the National Socialist Order (NSO), from which NSO9A emerged. [38] NSO9A published video footage of terrorist activities by the Maniac Murder Cult (M.K.Y.) and is considered the first North American group to distribute M.K.Y. propaganda material. [40]
Maniac Murder Cult (M. K. Y.)
The Maniac Murder Cult (M.K.Y.) was founded by Egor Krasnov in Dnipro, Ukraine, and subsequently expanded its activities beyond Ukraine into Russia. The network became particularly notorious for the murder of homeless individuals. Until his arrest, Georgian citizen Mikhail Chkhikvishvili was considered the self-proclaimed leader of the network. The first M.K.Y.-style videos were published on 2chan starting in 2018. [41]
The M.K.Y. network is described as a violent, accelerationist, and neo-Nazi network whose victims primarily include ethnic minorities, homeless people, individuals with mental illnesses, and other vulnerable groups. This is attributed to both ideological motives and the assumption that crimes against these groups would likely trigger less intensive investigations. [41]
In manifestos published by M.K.Y., the network primarily references National Socialism and theistic Satanism, as well as esotericism, the Thule Society, misanthropy, and specific esoteric teachings propagated by the Order of Nine Angles (O9A). Frequent references are made to the Temple ov Blood, an arm of the O9A, which aims to desensitize its members through graphic depictions of child abuse, sexual, and physical violence to incite them to commit terrorist acts. [41]
The group's propaganda materials draw on the artistic style of a neo-fascist known as Dark Foreigner. However, it has been observed that M.K.Y. members primarily focus on the violent teachings and aesthetics of these ideologies without engaging deeply with the ideologies themselves.The 764 network announced a "partnership" with M.K.Y. [41]
No Lives Matter
The ideology of No Lives Matter (NLM) can be described as nihilistic, accelerationist, and terrorist. NLM promotes murders, mass murders, and other criminal acts, encouraging members to engage in self-harm and animal abuse. The group's goal is the abolition of all societal standards. [42]
In April 2024, NLM distanced itself from the 764 network, stating that it advocates an ideology that 764 should follow. The previous alliance was disrupted due to 764's connections to Satanism and pedophilia. Since breaking away from 764, NLM has sharpened its ideological focus and now presents itself as a misanthropic network that continues to endorse murder. [42]
United States [2] 
