The chilling scale of depravity was uncovered by federal agents in New York this week. What began as a local investigation into an online sextortion crew has metastasised into something far more terrifying: a sinister connection to an international Neo-Nazi Cult dedicated to preying on the most vulnerable children, coercing them into horrific acts of sexual abuse, self-mutilation, and even murder.
The five alleged ringleaders of the twisted group, known initially as ‘Greggy’s Cult’—which was taken down by the federal authorities this week—spent their time scouring online gaming sites for fragile victims.
Prosecutors in Brooklyn detailed the sickening extent of the abuse in an indictment unsealed on Tuesday, revealing that children ‘as young as 11’ were terrorised into providing sexually explicit videos and compelled to physically mark their bodies as tangible proof of their loyalty to their abusers.
However, as confirmed by federal authorities and law enforcement sources, this abhorrent cell represents only a small portion of a vast, ideological network. The network was loosely linked to a much wider collective of predators known as ‘764’, a perverted crew founded in 2020 by then-15-year-old Texas dropout Bradley Cadenhead.
The US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York stated plainly that the two groups overlapped significantly: ‘Greggy’s Cult came into existence before another sadistic extortion network, 764, and prominent members of 764 and other similar networks that followed were also members of Greggy’s Cult.’
This established timeline and shared membership demonstrate a continuous, metastasising ideological sickness that persists even after the initial leaders are removed. While Cadenhead is currently serving a staggering ’80-year federal prison sentence’, others have ensured the dark ideology of 764 remains alive and operational, continually refining its insidious recruitment tactics.
The most alarming detail, highlighted in a comprehensive June report by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), is the ideological backbone of the threat: 764 is a direct offshoot of the Order of Nine Angels, or O9A, a notoriously dangerous, far-right extremist group that grotesquely blends Satanic beliefs with violent neo-Nazi ideology.
The Digital Recruitment Pipeline of the Neo-Nazi Cult
The process of targeting and grooming is precise and practised. The victims of 764 are typically vulnerable youngsters struggling with profound issues—’their sexuality, eating disorders or mental health issues’.
They are found on seemingly innocuous gaming sites like Roblox and subsequently lured into more private, encrypted messaging apps such as Discord.
It is within these closed digital spaces that the cult members commence their systematic psychological manipulation of the fragile children. The grooming is a calculated exercise in isolation and control, pushing the victims towards increasingly dangerous acts under the guise of commitment.
According to the ADL report, the loyalty tests are genuinely life-threatening: ‘Victims are often pressured to engage in increasingly extreme behaviours to test their “loyalty” to their abuser, such as killing family pets or asphyxiating themselves.’ The report also noted that self-harm is a common demand, with ‘cutting… extremely common among individuals associated with 764’.
The roots of this specific brand of digital fanaticism can be traced back to Russia and Ukraine, where the Maniac Murder Cult, or MKY, began operating as early as 2017. Cadenhead’s 764 was directly inspired by this deeply sick Russian-Ukrainian Neo-Nazi Cult group, exporting its tactics of manipulation and violence across the globe.
Beyond Sextortion: The Global Murder Toll of the Neo-Nazi Cult
The consequences of this online manipulation are tragically real and span continents. The connection between these digital cults and real-world violence is undeniable.
The teenager who ‘opened fire at Antioch High School in Tennessee in January claimed he was carrying out the shooting on behalf of MKY.’ This shocking act demonstrates the terrifying reality that the twisted instructions issued by these online abusers are being executed in real life.
The ADL has documented several other sickening crimes linked to victims or members of 764 and similar affiliated groups. These include an ’18-year-old’s livestreamed stabbing near a mosque in Turkey in August 2024′, and an appalling ‘April 2022 attack by a 17-year-old German national living in Romania, who broadcast himself slitting a woman’s throat’.
These acts confirm that this is not a niche internet phenomenon; it is a global security threat that directly results in grievous harm and death.
The US Department of Justice has been working to dismantle these elusive networks, with major indictments already filed in Washington, DC, against two alleged 764 ringleaders: Leonidas Varagiannis, an American living in Greece, and Prasan Nepal, a resident of North Carolina. The bust in Brooklyn this week, targeting Greggy’s Cult, represents another crucial blow against the network.
Five men, including Queens resident Hector Bermudez, 29, were charged with ‘child exploitation, conspiracy to produce child pornography’ and other crimes for leading Greggy’s Cult.
The indictment also named Rumaldo Valez, 22, of Hawaii, Camden Rodriguez, 22, of Colorado, Zachary Dosch, 26, of New Mexico, and David Brilhante, 28, of California. The federal authorities accused them of ‘depraved conduct such as repeatedly encouraging victims to kill themselves or encouraging them to insert household objects into their genitals or anus’.
While Greggy’s Cult operated between ‘January 2020 through January 2021’, the ringleaders’ persistence is disturbing. Even after the cult technically ‘disbanded’ and its Discord server was scrubbed, several leaders continued their horrific activities.
Rodriguez was allegedly still attempting to extort a minor as recently as April, while Bermudez reportedly tried to enlist at least two minors in June. Brilhante stands accused of sending child pornography to a victim in September 2024.
As both US and European authorities step up efforts, the message to the public is one of profound urgency. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and Deputy Commissioner Rebecca Weiner warned in an op-ed earlier this year: ‘It’s the stuff of nightmares, and dismantling these virulent networks is now a top national security priority across the United States and Europe… But most parents have no idea they exist.’
US Attorney Joseph Nocella concluded his announcement with a plea to the public: ‘I strongly urge parents and caregivers to have conversations with their children about the dangers of communicating online with strangers and individuals who seek to cruelly exploit them.’
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