Jail time for Maine child in 764 marks turning point in federal law enforcement

Summary

A 17-year-old from Maine has become the first minor federally charged and detained for crimes related to involvement in the violent extremist group 764. The charges include conspiracy to sexually exploit a child, distributing CSAM, and interstate threats. This case marks a turning point in federal law enforcement's approach to prosecuting minors involved in extremist groups, aiming to close a perceived loophole that allowed individuals to avoid accountability before turning 18.

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The FBI said a 17-year-old from Maine is the first child federally charged and adjudicated for crimes stemming from their involvement in 764, a violent extremist collective. A judge ordered the teen to remain detained after determining they committed multiple crimes, including conspiracy to sexually exploit a child, sexually exploiting and enticing a child, distributing child sexual abuse material, sending interstate threats, cyberstalking victims and identity theft. “This first-in-the-nation case should make it crystal clear that if you conspire to commit violent, extremist crimes, your age will not shield you from accountability,” Ted Docks, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston Division, said in a statement Tuesday. “What this juvenile did would shock most people to their very core, and it is our hope that by publicizing this case, others will be deterred from making the same devastating choices this teen did.” The nihilistic extremist group the teen participated in, 764, is more broadly affiliated with The Com, a sprawling network of thousands of people, typically between 11 and 25 years old, seeking to foster social unrest by destroying civilized society through the corruption and exploitation of children and other vulnerable populations. The Justice Department’s resolve in this case — detaining and adjudicating a 764 member before they reach adulthood — marks a turning point and apparent change in internal policy against charging children for federal crimes linked to their involvement in violent extremist groups. “Crimes from 764 copycat groups in The Com are extremely serious and it speaks to how law enforcement prioritizes these things,” Allison Nixon, chief research officer at Unit 221B, told CyberScoop. “They recognize this loophole involving minors needs to be closed in order to tackle this social problem of violence arising from minors which crosses state lines.” The first-of-its-kind case has a wider impact that will cause ripples across the landscape of violent extremist crime, she added. “If you sexually exploit a child, the fact that you yourself are a minor will not protect you from the consequences of your actions,” Andrew Benson, U.S. attorney for the District of Maine, said in a statement. The Maine teenager, whose identity is being withheld, was ordered to serve a term of official detention followed by supervision, the FBI said. Officials did not provide details about the terms of detention. Andrew McCormack, assistant U.S. attorney for the U.S. District of Maine, and a spokesperson for the FBI Boston Division, both said federal law restricts what law enforcement can share about cases involving underage criminals and declined to say where the teen lived, where they’re being detained and for how long. Nixon conveyed, with some reluctance, the need for more actions like this targeting underage members of 764 and similar groups. “I’m not advocating normalizing throwing kids in prison but we very much need to find a new balance to protect society from violent groups that are incentivized by this federal loophole to commit maximum harm before turning 18, and then after 18, to recruit and train kids to do dirty work for them,” she said. “I cannot understate how much this loophole specifically influenced this culture of maximizing harm.” The teen’s ordered detention marks a continuation of consistently heightened law enforcement activity targeting members of 764 and affiliated groups. Kyle William Spitze, an original member of 764 and leader of one of its offshoots, was sentenced to 77 years in prison, the longest imprisonment ever imposed on a nihilistic violent extremist, in federal court in Tennessee in late August. Alexis Aldair Chavez, who began associating with 764 as a child in 2022 before leading an offshoot 8884, was sentenced to 40 years in prison in July for blackmailing and coercing multiple girls to commit self-harm, torture animals and degrade themselves on camera to produce CSAM. Other alleged 764 members arrested since 2025 include: Leonidas Varagiannis and Prasan Nepal, Baron Cain Martin, Tony Christopher Long, Erik Lee Madison, Zachary Sweeney and Aaron Corey. The FBI said it is currently investigating more than 500 subjects nationwide who are allegedly involved in 764 and its many offshoots. “These groups actively target minors and are made up of a large percentage of minors. They are intentionally recruiting juveniles here in the U.S. to conduct criminal acts because, simply put, they think they can get away with it because historically, the federal justice system has rarely prosecuted juveniles,” Docks said. “We’re here to tell you, they’re wrong, and if they don’t stop this abhorrent behavior, they too could find the FBI on their doorstep and themselves in federal court. We are going to do everything in our power to protect kids and ensure those who harm them don’t get away with it,” Docks added. Nixon, who has studied the rise of these violent extremist groups and helped law enforcement identify some of its members, said she’s pleased with this development. “Right now the prevailing sentiment within these violent groups is that you can do anything you want with no accountability before you turn 18, so therefore you should commit the most heinous acts possible because it’s your last chance. That’s why there are so many 17 year olds who become a major public nuisance, because it’s their last hurrah — but for bomb threatening schools and abusing little kids,” Nixon said. “They slow down on their 18th birthday and pivot to using minors to hide behind, and teaching them this lifestyle,” she added. “Closing that loophole will do a ton to break this cycle. They pay close attention to law enforcement, and just one arrest shatters their sense of safety. I don’t think the FBI will stop at just one arrest.” Share Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Copy Link

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