764 leader Prasan Nepal pleads guilty to a child exploitation conspiracy carrying up to 30 years

Nepal's admissions describe how 764 screened recruits. He admitted that anyone seeking to join had to make and share material showing child sexual abuse, self-mutilation, self-immolation, animal cruelty and violence against people and property ^[7]. Once members were in, he required them to keep producing and posting acts of self-harm, and he ordered victims to commit those acts ^[8]. Officials said members also extort victims to commit suicide and murder, and publish compilations of victims' photos and videos to gain notoriety inside the network ^[11].

The Justice Department describes 764 as 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 include minors" ^[5]. The count Nepal admitted carries 15 to 30 years ^[2]. His ceiling is about 39 percent of the 77 years Spitze received ^[22]. It is also below the 40 years given in July to Alexis Aldair Chavez, who led the offshoot 8884 ^[17].

The remaining co-leader case is Greek. Varagiannis faces charges there related to CSAM and participation in a criminal organization ^[21]. In the U.S. indictment, Nepal, Varagiannis and the 22 listed monikers add up to 24 alleged participants ^[23]. CyberScoop names five other alleged 764 members arrested since 2025: Baron Cain Martin, Tony Christopher Long, Erik Lee Madison, Zachary Sweeney and Aaron Corey ^[18]. The report does not tie those five to the 22 handles or say when any of the 22 might be charged. The plea follows a period of heightened law enforcement activity against 764 and affiliated groups, according to CyberScoop ^[20].

Both sentences CyberScoop cites went to people who came up inside 764 and then ran their own groups. Spitze was an original 764 member before he led one of its offshoots ^[16]. Chavez began associating with 764 as a child in 2022 and went on to lead 8884 ^[17]. Threat researchers tie 764 members to The Com, a worldwide collection of loosely linked groups whose crimes are financially motivated, sexual or violent, CyberScoop reported ^[6].

Jeanine Pirro, U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, called the plea "a warning to anyone who believes they can hide behind an encrypted screen: we will find you, and we will stop you" ^[10]. Allison Nixon, chief research officer at Unit 221B, put the value somewhere else. "I doubt these types of offenders can be reasoned with, and I don't think sending a message is the point," she told CyberScoop ^[12]. "The biggest value is getting them off the table. Reoffending rates for online gangs is extremely high, so making each prison stint count is important," she said ^[13]. "It is great seeing every generation of copycats get arrested even faster than the previous generation, and seeing the long sentences," Nixon said ^[19].