Although 764 has been described as a "Satanic neo-Nazi cult" by multiple sources,[3][4] investigations suggest that its members' misanthropic worldview and sadistic tendencies are more significant drivers, with group dynamics playing a key role in further radicalization. Members of 764 frequently adopt the corresponding symbolism but are primarily described as being motivated by sadism.[5][6]
764 was founded in 2021 by Bradley Chance Cadenhead.[7] At the age of 15, school dropout Cadenhead (alias: "Felix") learned techniques of exploiting minors and sextortion on a Discord server of CVLT and subsequently founded the 764. In the online game Minecraft, Cadenhead met an unknown person who assisted him in establishing 764.[6] The 764 network is primarily active on Discord and Telegram, and to some extent on the gaming platforms Roblox and Minecraft.[8] Its members are involved in systematic sexual, physical, and psychological abuse of minors through sextortion and other practices and in 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 with mental health issues.[9][10]
Cadenhead was bullied during his school years. A classmate called him an "easy target". In his early teens, Cadenhead suffered multiple psychological 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.[11] Cadenhead had been noticeably disruptive as a student. At age ten, he was fascinated by graphic online content depicting murder and torture. His assistant principal alerted authorities about Cadenhead, leading to an investigation into terrorist threats. Despite disciplinary measures, Cadenhead continued to use school computers to draw images of school shootings.[6]
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, and self-harm. Cadenhead's Discord accounts were typically banned within about a day, but he repeatedly created new ones. A Discord Inc. spokesperson told The Washington Post that the company's moderation system primarily relied on user reports. When Discord learned of their illegal activities, it banned Cadenhead's accounts. Out of concern about retaliatory actions by 764 members, the spokesperson requested anonymity.[11] After a house search[11] on August 25, 2021, Cadenhead was arrested,[12] and on May 16, 2023, he was convicted of possessing child pornographic files.[13] He was sentenced to 80 years in prison and is currently imprisoned in the Estelle Unit in Huntsville, Texas.[14][12]
Cadenhead's behavioral therapist said during the trial that Cadenhead needed psychological treatment rather than imprisonment. After reviewing video evidence from Cadenhead's computer and listing the seven deadly sins, the presiding judge, Jason Cashon, addressed Cadenhead directly, saying, "There is something horribly wrong with you [...] Horribly."[11]
Arrests of leaders
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 Prasan Nepal (alias "Trippy") was arrested on April 22, 2025, in North Carolina, and the 21-year-old Leonidas Varagiannis (alias "War") was apprehended on April 28 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.[1][15]
According to the Justice Department, 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. According to FBI Director Kash Patel, they recruited group members and created a guide for producing such material. If convicted in the U.S., Varagiannis and Nepal face life imprisonment, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.[1][15]
According to the Global Network on Extremism & Technology (GNET), the 764 network was officially considered dissolved upon the arrest of Cadenhead and other key figures. But 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 persists in these splinter groups.[6]
Due to the network's decentralized nature, numerous subgroups exist, including No Lives Matter.[16][17][18][19] When aggregated, the people surrounding these groups are commonly called "the com", short for "the community".[17][20] Law enforcement estimated in 2024 that "the com" includes hundreds of people who engage in extortion and harassment using various cybercriminal tactics such as swatting or doxing, as well as thousands engaged in other cybercriminal activities.[8]
A 23-year-old Indian national, Rohan Sandeep Rane, founded the CVLT Discord server to discuss fascism and Nazism while studying in France. He aimed to create a space where hatred of Jews and Muslims could be expressed. About 150 people, whom investigators have not yet identified, joined the forum.[21] Rane has been called a "brilliant economics student".[21] According to Europol, the CVLT network's core principles are nihilism, pedophilia, and neo-Nazism.[22]
On February 5, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice reported arrests of two CVLT leaders, with charges also filed against two additional leaders who were already incarcerated. The four were accused of operating the CVLT network as leaders and administrators, at least between 2019 and 2022.[23] 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.[24][25]
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 called CVLT a "violent, extremist child abuse ring". CVLT was identified as part of a larger network of violent extremists involved in child abuse.[26]ICE reported that CVLT's victims were coerced into degrading acts such as drinking their urine, eating their hair, "fansigning", and self-harm. Additionally, victims were forced through sextortion to produce child sexual abuse material.[27]
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.[28][29]
The Order of Nine Angles (O9A) was founded in 1970 by a person 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.[30]
Although there appears to be a connection to Nazism and right-wing extremism, O9A instead promotes amorality and teachings aimed at "transcending" moral and societal norms.[30]
A splinter group of O9A is the National Socialist Order of Nine Angles (NSO9A).[31] NSO9A is regarded as an expression of O9A's ideological influence within the Atomwaffen Division. The Atomwaffen Division announced its dissolution in 2020[32] but continued as the National Socialist Order (NSO), from which NSO9A emerged.[31] 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.[32]
The Maniac Murder Cult (M.K.Y.) was founded by Egor Krasnov in Dnipro, Ukraine, and subsequently expanded into Russia. The network became particularly notorious for the murder of homeless people. Until his arrest, Georgian citizen Mikhail Chkhikvishvili was considered the network's self-proclaimed leader. The first M.K.Y.-style videos were published on 2chan in 2018.[31]
M.K.Y. has been described as a violent, accelerationist, and neo-Nazi network whose victims are primarily ethnic minorities, homeless people, people 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.[31] In its manifestos, M.K.Y. references Nazism, theistic Satanism, 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 that aims to desensitize its members through graphic depictions of child abuse and sexual and physical violence to incite them to commit terrorist acts.[31]
The group's propaganda materials draw on the artistic style of a neo-fascist known as Dark Foreigner. It has been observed that M.K.Y. members 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.[31]
The ideology of No Lives Matter (NLM) can be described as nihilistic, accelerationist, and terrorist. NLM promotes murder, mass murder, and other criminal acts, encouraging members to engage in self-harm and animal abuse. The group's goal is to abolish all societal standards.[33]
In April 2024, NLM distanced itself from the 764 network, saying 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 from 764, NLM has sharpened its ideological focus and now presents itself as a misanthropic network that continues to endorse murder.[33]
Sextortion
The network is most present on Discord and Telegram.[3] Its members try to obtain compromising data from their victims, often in the form of nude images. They use various methods, such as hacking, sextortion, and blackmail, to acquire this data, which is then used for extortion.[34] Some victims are coerced into self-harm, including cases where children were forced to carve their tormentor's online nickname into their skin, which is called "cutsigning" or "fansigning" (a form of branding to show their subjugation by the group).[35] Other children were manipulated into flushing their heads in toilets, torturing and killing their pets, attacking their siblings, killing themselves, or carrying out mass shootings.[31][8] Several cases of attempted or completed suicides among victims are documented, some deliberately induced by the perpetrators.[6]
The German Federal Criminal Police Office has warned about these perpetrators' methods. A Canadian victim of 764 described feeling loved by the perpetrators and said, "I was a lost soul and found serenity and comfort in the familiarity of the abuse."[36]
The perpetrators' motives are cited as sadism and misanthropy, though extorted child pornographic material has also been sold on the darknet.[8] The FBI identified minors aged eight to seventeen as the target group. Additionally, members of the LGBTQ+ community, ethnic minorities, and people with mental health issues, particularly depression and suicidality, are focal points for the perpetrators.[37]
Warnings from police
Federal Bureau of Investigations classified the 764 network as a "tier one" threat, the highest danger category, assessing it as a threat to national and economic security.[38] In September 2023, the FBI published their first bulletin warning the public of the network.[39] Law enforcement authorities and affected parties have repeatedly stated that platform operators are responsible for taking more decisive action against dangers to underage users.[40][41][42] While Roblox had already restricted certain content and features for users under 17 since 2023, the company implemented additional safety measures in November, including automated chat monitoring and restrictions on the use of the chat function for underage users. In July 2025, age verification via facial scanning was introduced.[43]
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.[35] Another news release reminding the public of the groups was published by RCMP a month later.[44] 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.[45] 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".[46]
According to media reports from May 2025, approximately 250 investigations related to the 764 network were being conducted in the USA spanning all 55 FBI field offices.[47] In the USA, terrorism laws are sometimes applied to members of the 764 network. These laws are also used against perpetrators operating from abroad who commit crimes with impacts in the USA. In such cases, extradition requests are made.[48]
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.[20] The FBI estimates that thousands of children have fallen prey to 764 and similar groups.[20] The Australian Federal Police claimed that they were intensifying efforts to disrupt networks linked to 764.[49]
2021
In 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.[50][24][51] Cadenhead's splinter group also leveraged animal torture, incest, rape, self-harm, and bestiality from their victims.[6][52][31]
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.[53][10] 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.[53] Almeida's arrest tipped off law enforcement on the 764 network.[10]
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.[54]
2023
17-year-old member Nino Luciano H., known as "Tobbz", livestreamed himself attacking an 82-year-old man in March 2022,[8] 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.[55][56][57] This was allegedly so he could "prove himself" as a member of the "Maniac Murder Cult".[55] He was sentenced to 14 years in prison in August 2023.[8]
In March 2023, 17-year-old founder Bradley Chance Cadenhead pled guilty to nine counts of possession of child pornography.[58] An Erath County judge sentenced Cadenhead to an 80-year state prison sentence, citing his self-described status as a "cult leader".[59][11] 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.[25][60] He pled guilty to the charges, and the case was referred to the Paris Court of Assizes for a jury trial.[60]
After Cadenhead's arrest in August 2021, the group was led by a 21-year-old from Timișoara, Romania, named Francesco (nicknamed "Riley").[8] 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".[55][8]
In December 2023, an 18-year-old man from Honolulu, Hawaii, was arrested for running a 764 splinter group.[61][62]
2024
In January 2024, the Brazilian Federal Police arrested two teenage leaders of a suspected splinter group in Ananindeua, Pará, and Tabatinga, Amazonas, Brazil.[63][17] The operation led by the federal police, codenamed "Discórdia", carried out seven search warrants in five Brazilian states.[63][62]
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.[7] Densmore, who was known as "Rabid" and ran a splinter group named "Sew3r", was later sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty.[64][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][52]
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.[65][66]
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.[24][67] Spitze garnered notoriety in 2023 for a video of his stepfather shooting him in the ear during an altercation.[67] In December 2024, he pled guilty to four of the eight crimes he was charged for.[68] He faces 30 years in prison and lifetime supervised release.[69]
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.[70][71][72] 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.[70]
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.[73][74][75]
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, as announced by the Department of Justice on January 30, 2025.[80]
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.[81][82]
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.[83][84]
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.[85][82]
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.[86]
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.[87]
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.[88]
On April 29, 2025, two members of 764—Prasan Nepal, a founder of 764 known as "Trippy",[89] 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.[90] If convicted, the leaders could face life sentences in prison.[91]
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.[92] 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.[93]
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.[94][95]
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, but was ordered to pay 160,000 kronor in damages to the woman.[96][97]
On May 22, 2025, a 14-year-old boy, who had ties to 764, was arrested by the FBI for plotting to attack mallgoers at a mall in Kelso, Washington.[98][99]
On June 18, 2025, based on an FBI notice and evidence secured in a September 2023 house search, German authorities announced the arrest of a 20-year-old German-Iranian man in Hamburg, who was described as a leading figure in 764, who acted under the online name "White Tiger". He is accused of over 120 offenses, including murder and multiple cases of attempted murder.[100][101]
On July 27, 2025, 20-year-old Logan Anthony Seitz was arrested for stabbing a woman 20 times in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. Seitz was a member of 764 under the alias "Corrupt" and told the police that he had had the urge to kill since he was a child.[102][103]
On August 27, 2025, a 27-year-old man was arrested and charged with possession of child pornography dating back to 2022. Police said the man was a member of 764.[104]
↑ 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.
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