The Boston field office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation has issued a cautionary note to parents regarding the alarming increase in online extremist groups targeting children. These networks, often referred to as “764,” are part of a broader spectrum of violent factions driven by an ideology known as Nihilistic Violent Extremism. Ted Docks, the FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Field Office, articulated the essence of this ideology during an interview with WBZ-TV, stating, “You are trying to sow chaos to seek the destruction of society.”
Docks revealed that the FBI is currently investigating approximately 350 suspects across the nation, with thousands of cases under scrutiny. While the profiles of these suspects are not uniform, they frequently consist of young men aged 25 and under. “They do it in a way in which, whether it’s to gain clout, they get points in a sense. ‘The more I can victimize my specific victim, I get kudos from this specific chat forum’ and vice versa. Sometimes they team up with each other,” Docks explained.
Suspects use platforms like Roblox, Minecraft and Call of Duty
The FBI has identified that these suspects often engage with children on popular gaming platforms such as Roblox, Minecraft, and Call of Duty, as well as social media sites like Discord. Their methods are disturbingly manipulative; they initially befriend their victims before coercing them into producing sexual content, self-harm, or even acts of violence against themselves or others.
“They will send sexual abuse material to their subjects. They will also partake in animal cruelty. These are often times household pets where you will have animals that have been burned, maimed. You will have animals that have been drowned,” Docks elaborated. In a particularly harrowing case from Washington D.C., suspects reportedly exchanged tips on how to persuade young girls to engage in self-harm, including severe actions such as carving their bodies.
Massachusetts charges
In Massachusetts, there has been one federal case against a suspect thus far. Joseph Pacheco, 23, from Everett, Washington, faces allegations of sending child pornography and animal crush videos to a child in Worcester, along with threats to kill the child and their family.
Leah Foley, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, highlighted the complexities involved in prosecuting these cases, particularly since many suspects are minors themselves. “The Juvenile Delinquency Act only allows us to charge minors for certain crimes of violence in certain cases,” Foley noted. This reality underscores the importance of vigilance among parents, educators, law enforcement, and community members. “All parents need to know what this is and that their child is vulnerable to being drawn into it,” Foley emphasized.
