A global law enforcement effort has taken root to combat The Com, a sprawling nihilistic network of thousands of minors and young adults engaged in various forms of cybercrime, including physical violence and extortion.

Project Compass, an operation coordinated by Europol with support from 28 countries, including all members of the Five Eyes, has resulted in the arrest of 30 perpetrators since the initiative got underway in January 2025, authorities said in a news release Thursday. 

Officials said sustained countermeasures have contributed to the full and partial identification of 179 perpetrators, while the operation has also safeguarded four victims and identified up to 62 victims. 

The Com is splintered into three primary subsets with different objectives the FBI describes as Hacker Com, In Real Life Com and Extortion Com. Crimes attributed to group members have grown increasingly complex, with perpetrators going to great lengths to mask identities, hide financial transactions and launder money. 

“These networks deliberately target children in the digital spaces where they feel most at ease,” Anna Sjöberg, head of Europol’s European Counter Terrorism Centre, said in a statement.

Various branches of The Com have been linked to high-profile crimes over the past few years, and law enforcement has responded with heightened activity and interest in the group’s activities. 

The Com is vast — many perpetrators remain at large and even more victims are still suffering and awaiting aid. 

This growing global effort to thwart shifting crime trends with appropriate resources has built a foundation that will foster results beyond those achieved to date, said Allison Nixon, chief research officer at Unit 221B.

“How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time,” she told CyberScoop. “The Com represents a major social problem impacting youth, and peoples’ expectations need to be realistic. These early numbers and ramping up effort over time is what success looks like and we need to encourage that.”

An effective police response to The Com requires a different way of thinking and retooling, “but it is more solvable than crime originating from hostile nations,” Nixon said.

Project Compass is built around an information-sharing network, which enables each of the partner nations to assist with investigations across various specialized units. Countries are also sharing advice for preventative measures and mobilizing data sprints to bring intelligence together for ongoing cases.

“Project Compass allows us to intervene earlier, safeguard victims and disrupt those who exploit vulnerability for extremist purposes,” Sjöberg said. “No country can address this threat alone — and through this cooperation, we are closing the gaps they try to hide in.”

Europol did not identify the 30 people arrested under Project Compass thus far. Yet, at least some of those cases are public. 

Authorities during the past year have arrested multiple members of a Com offshoot known as 764, which is a growing online threat to coerce vulnerable children to produce child sexual abuse material of themselves, gor material, self mutilation, sibling abuse, animal abuses and other acts of violence. 

Two alleged leaders of 764, Leonidas Varagiannis and Prasan Nepal, were arrested and charged for directing and distributing CSAM in April.

Tony Christoper Long and Alexis Aldair Chavez both pleaded guilty late last year to multiple crimes linked to their involvement with the extremist group. Other alleged 764 members have been arrested in the United States more recently, including Erik Lee Madison and Aaron Corey.

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A 23-year-old New York man allegedly affiliated with 764 was arrested and charged with receiving child sexual abuse material. Aaron Corey of Albany, N.Y., faces up to 20 years in prison for trafficking CSAM during a three-month period ending in December.

Corey, also known as “Baggeth,” is accused of running multiple 764-related chats, seeking CSAM from other people affiliated with the nihilistic violent extremist collective. Investigators said they found multiple images and videos of children, some as young as 2 years old, depicting child sexual abuse on Corey’s mobile device, according to a court records.

Officials also found evidence on Corey’s computer also, including a search for “parks near me for kids” and multiple visited URLs about relationships with minors. An FBI agent investigating Corey said his online moniker was potentially derived from his attempts to get girls to place bags over their heads, according to a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York. 

“The 764 network is a depraved criminal group that exploits vulnerable children and revels in their abuse,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement. “The very serious crimes alleged in this indictment will be aggressively prosecuted until justice is served, as the Justice Department and federal partners continue efforts to take down this violent extremist network.”

Authorities have arrested multiple members of 764 during the past year, reflecting heightened law enforcement activity targeting the violent extremist collective and other offshoots affiliated with The Com. The FBI has long been investigating the group’s use of cybercriminal tactics to carry out their crimes.

The sprawling nihilistic network of thousands of people, typically between 11 and 25 years old, engages in a growing online threat to coerce vulnerable children to produce CSAM of themselves, gore material, self mutilation, sibling abuse, animal abuse and other acts of violence. 

Two alleged leaders of 764, Leonidas Varagiannis and Prasan Nepal, were arrested and charged for directing and distributing CSAM in April. The two men are accused of exploiting at least eight minor victims, some as young as 13 years old, and face charges that carry a maximum penalty of life in prison.

Tony Christopher Long, of California, pleaded not guilty in November to multiple charges carrying a maximum penalty up to 69 years in prison related to his alleged involvement in the nihilistic violent extremist group. 

Erik Lee Madison, of Maryland, was arrested in November and is accused of victimizing at least five children this fall, including one as young as 13 at the time. His alleged criminality dates back to 2020 when he was a minor.

Alexis Aldair Chavez, of San Antonio, pleaded guilty in December to multiple crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children while acting as an administrator and leader of 8884, a splinter group of 764. He faces up to 60 years in prison.

“Preying on our nation’s children, who are among the most vulnerable members of society, is beyond comprehension,” Christopher Raia, co-deputy director of the FBI, said in a statement.

Corey was arrested Monday, appeared in federal court Tuesday and is being detained pending his next court appearance. You can read the full criminal complaint below.

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A 19-year-old man from San Antonio pleaded guilty Friday to multiple crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children while acting as an administrator and leader of 8884, a splinter group of the violent extremist collective known as 764. 

Alexis Aldair Chavez faces up to 60 years in prison for racketeering, distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). He was arrested and has been detained without bail since October 2024.

Chavez began associating with 764 as a minor in 2022 when a co-conspirator introduced him to 7997, one of many 764 offshoots affiliated with The Com. Authorities describe The Com as a sprawling nihilistic violent extremist network of thousands of people, typically between 11 and 25 years old, engaged in a growing online threat to coerce vulnerable children to produce CSAM of themselves, gore material, self mutilation, sibling abuse, animal abuse and other acts of violence.

“Chavez led a group of online predators whose ultimate purpose is to destroy our society,” Sue Bai, principal deputy assistant attorney general for national security, said in a statement. “They tried to achieve that heinous goal by desensitizing innocent children to violence — coercing them to perform gruesome and harmful acts against themselves and animals — with the hope of encouraging further violence and spreading chaos.”

Prosecutors said Chavez “earned the right” to participate in 7997 chat rooms by killing his cat and posting a video of the crime for others to view. He later groomed multiple victims to blackmail and coerce additional victims, all to increase reputation within the group’s ranks, according to federal court records.

Chavez attempted to coerce a girl to commit suicide and blackmailed another girl into self-mutiliation, animal torture and illicit content production in late 2023. He later worked with multiple co-conspirators and blackmailed some of his victims to coerce other girls to degrade themselves on camera and produce CSAM.

The indictment filed against Chavez in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas details a series of horrifying crimes he committed with co-conspirators and some of his victims. 

Separately, Chavez coerced multiple minors to harm themselves or engage in various acts of depravity on video chats in the 8884 channel.

“The depraved acts described in the indictment are very normal for these people,” Allison Nixon, chief research officer at Unit 221B, told CyberScoop. 

Nixon, who has studied domestic and English-speaking cybercrime and tracked its rise for more than a decade, said 764 is a “very important tar pit for certain rare, risky personalities” that is likely worthy of scientific study. 

“8884 and 7997 are part of a homogenous 764 copycat soup. All of these groups start to blend together,” she said. “Most of these actors are motivated by attention seeking, and their culture is based on competing to be the worst. Ironically, they all end up being the same.”

When the FBI executed a search warrant at Chavez’s residence in July 2024, prosecutors said he came out the backdoor and threw his phone over a neighbor’s fence in an attempt to hide evidence.

Chavez’s guilty plea follows a year of heightened law enforcement activity, which has netted arrests of multiple alleged 764 leaders and members.

Two alleged leaders of 764, Leonidas Varagiannis and Prasan Nepal, were arrested and charged for directing and distributing CSAM in April. The two men are accused of exploiting at least eight minor victims, some as young as 13 years old, and face charges that carry a maximum penalty of life in prison.

Baron Cain Martin, of Tucson, Arizona, allegedly joined the child sextortion ring as early as 2019, eventually acting as a leader until his arrest late last year. Martin faces 29 charges and, if convicted, up to life in prison.

Tony Christopher Long, of California, pleaded not guilty last month to multiple charges carrying a maximum penalty up to 69 years in prison related to his alleged involvement in the nihilistic violent extremist group. 

Erik Lee Madison, of Maryland, was arrested in November and is accused of victimizing at least five children this fall, including one as young as 13 at the time. His alleged criminality dates back to 2020 when he was a minor.

“All of the 764 cases I’ve seen presented by law enforcement have been high quality and successful, and I hope this work can continue,” Nixon said.

Chavez’s sentencing is set for March 25, 2026. You can read the full indictment below.

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A 20-year-old Maryland man allegedly associated with violent extremist group 764 is in federal custody, facing charges for sexual exploitation of children, online coercement and enticement, and cyberstalking. 

Erik Lee Madison, of Halethorpe, Maryland, is accused of victimizing at least five children this fall, including one as young as 13 at the time. His alleged criminality dates back to 2020 when he was a minor.

Madison’s alleged association with 764, an offshoot of The Com, and the crimes he’s accused of follow a common thread of nihilistic violent extremism. Members of the loose-knit collective and associated groups, which spans thousands of people, typically between 11 and 25 years old, commit financially motivated, sexual and violent crimes, according to the FBI.

Prosecutors accuse Madison of targeting, stalking and coercing his victims on Discord, Roblox, Instagram, Snapchat and Telegram. Authorities have warned that 764 members use these services to target minors. Some of these platforms sent tips to authorities to report on Madison’s alleged crimes. 

Investigators found multiple pieces of evidence linking Madison to these alleged crimes on his iCloud accounts. The FBI, pursuant to a warrant, searched Madison’s residence Nov. 6 and found multiple accounts and files on his phone linking him to his alleged crimes, according to an affidavit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. 

Madison’s mother provided authorities with the password to his phone. Prosecutors accuse Madison of coercing his victims to create child sexual abuse material and commit self harm and animal torture under threat of harm to the victims, their families and friends. 

Madison’s arrest comes amid a heightened period of law enforcement activity targeting alleged 764 members and leaders.

Baron Cain Martin, 21, of Tucson, Arizona, allegedly joined the child sextortion ring as early as 2019, eventually acting as a leader until his arrest late last year. Martin faces 29 charges and, if convicted, up to life in prison.

Tony Christopher Long, a 19-year-old California man, pleaded not guilty last month to multiple charges carrying a maximum penalty up to 69 years in prison related to his alleged involvement in the nihilistic violent extremist group. 

Two alleged leaders of 764, Leonidas Varagiannis and Prasan Nepal, were arrested and charged for directing and distributing CSAM in April. The two men are accused of exploiting at least eight minor victims, some as young as 13 years old, and face charges that carry a maximum penalty of life in prison.

“We are now seeing the fruits of the government recognizing this as a priority,” Allison Nixon, chief research officer at Unit 221B, told CyberScoop. “Law enforcement has learned a lot in the past few years about these emerging groups and what to look for. The nature of law enforcement will always be reactive, but they are reacting.”

Madison was known to authorities for years and had multiple run-ins with law enforcement while he was a minor. 

Baltimore County Police investigated Madison in May 2020, acting on a tip from Instagram. Madison admitted to a detective that he sent an image depicting child sexual abuse material to another user. The case was closed after the detective explained laws, appropriate internet behavior and proper supervision of teenagers online, according to court records.

In February 2022, the FBI got involved after one of his alleged victim’s parents reported to law enforcement that Madison possessed CSAM and was stalking their child. When an FBI agent interviewed Madison at his residence with his mother’s consent, he admitted to communicating with the girl on Instagram and Snapchat.

The FBI agent, at the time, advised Madison to cease all communications with the child and informed him about the legal consequences of his actions.

A few months later, in June 2022, Madison posted a video of himself sexually abusing his dog, according to court records. When law enforcement seized his phone and conducted forensics, investigators found CSAM. Madison was charged as a minor with animal abuse and possession of CSAM. 

Madison’s alleged yearslong criminality underscores the persistent cycle of hate and violent crime that 764 engenders among its members. The FBI previously said members of 764 and related groups are driven by a range of personal motives, including notoriety, sexual gratification or a sense of belonging. 

Martin wasn’t prominent in 764, but many members blend together in their attempt to achieve infamy, according to Nixon. 

“The problem is complicated by how many of them start before 18. When both sides in an incident are underage, it falls on law enforcement to exercise discretion,” she said. “His 2020 and 2022 interactions with law enforcement had red flags showing it wasn’t a normal teenager relationship.”

Knowledge of 764 wasn’t widespread at that time. “I think if a detective in 2025 was working the same set of facts, they would have reacted more forcefully,” Nixon said. 

She also questioned what resources or type of rehabilitation program could help in cases linked to 764. 

“I don’t think a good program exists that can break the intense human relationships that bond members of violent internet street gangs,” Nixon said. “It’s a huge factor in reoffending.”

You can read the full affidavit below.

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Federal law enforcement said a leader of 764, a violent extremist group, has been in federal custody since he was arrested in December and faces 29 charges for running a loose-knit collective involved in child exploitation, cyberstalking, kidnapping, animal torture, wire fraud and murder.

Baron Cain Martin, 21, of Tucson, Arizona, allegedly joined the child sextortion ring as early as 2019, eventually acting as a leader until his arrest late last year, according to an indictment unsealed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona.

Martin is charged with providing material support to terrorists, producing and distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM), coercing minors to engage in sexual activity, cyberstalking, animal crushing and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He faces up to life in prison, many times over.

“This man’s alleged crimes are unthinkably depraved and reflect the horrific danger of 764 — if convicted, he will face severe consequences as we work to dismantle this evil network,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement. “I urge parents to remain vigilant about the threats their children face online.”

Martin’s arrest and indictment comes amid a flurry of law enforcement activity targeting 764 and its alleged members.

Federal authorities announced Martin’s arrest and unsealed charges filed against him shortly after another alleged 764 member, Tony Christopher Long, a 19-year-old California man, pleaded not guilty to multiple charges carrying a maximum penalty up to 69 years in prison related to his alleged involvement in the nihilistic violent extremist group.

Two alleged leaders of 764 were arrested and charged for directing and distributing CSAM in April. The two men, Leonidas Varagiannis and Prasan Nepal, are accused of exploiting at least eight minor victims, some as young as 13 years old, and face charges that carry a maximum penalty of life in prison.

“Law enforcement is dogpiling these people and I think that’s great,” Allison Nixon, chief research officer at Unit221B, told CyberScoop.

“They don’t stop until they are physically ripped off the computer,” she said. “The enormous amount of charges isn’t surprising.”

764 is an offshoot of The Com, a global collective of loosely associated groups spanning thousands of people, typically between 11 and 25 years old, that commit financially motivated, sexual and violent crimes. The FBI previously said members of 764 and related groups are driven by a range of personal motives, including notoriety, sexual gratification or a sense of belonging. 

“[Martin’s] actions as a leader of this criminal network were so atrocious and extreme that he is charged with supporting terrorism,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement. “It’s alleged that Martin not only committed these crimes but wrote and posted a guide for others to use to identify, groom, and extort their own victims.”

Nixon, who has tracked the rise of English-speaking cybercrime for more than a decade, said she found the grooming guide Martin allegedly produced and distributed online. The guide included details about how to identify, groom and extort vulnerable children and advised readers to target victims struggling with mental health, officials said.

Other federal law enforcement officials described Martin’s alleged crimes as “so depraved they defy comprehension,” “an assault on the basic foundations of human decency,” and “promoting some of the sickest forms of human depravity.”

Martin, also known by the online moniker “Convict” among many others, allegedly provided assistance as personnel, service and expert advice to carry out a conspiracy to kill or main a person in a foreign country, according to authorities. He is also accused of conspiring with others to coerce a victim living outside the United States to self-harm, self-main and self-kill, officials said. 

“He was respected in these communities because of his acts and was influential,” Nixon said. “I would agree he was a leader, and his friends will be reading his court documents with admiration.”

Martin is charged with five counts of producing CSAM, 11 counts of distributing CSAM and three counts of coercing minors to engage in sexual activity. He is accused of victimizing at least nine victims, eight of which were between the ages of 11 and 15 years old at the time.

“The FBI will not stop until we find those who perpetrate these horrific crimes that prey on the most vulnerable members of our communities,” Patel said.

You can read the full indictment below.

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