Maine teen tied to violent 764 group is sentenced to prison for child sexual exploitation

A teenager from Maine with ties to the violent 764 network has been sentenced to prison for sexually exploiting children, the FBI said Tuesday.

The case against the 17-year-old marks the first time a juvenile has been charged in federal court for alleged crimes carried out as part of online nihilistic groups connected to the 764 network, according to the FBI’s Boston office, which led the investigation.

“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 E. Docks, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston Division, said in a statement. “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 extremist 764 network, formed by a Texas teenager in 2021 and named after his ZIP code, is made up of people who seek to coerce and manipulate children into engaging in sexual acts and committing crimes.

The FBI says it’s investigating more than 500 people nationwide who have links to the violent online network, which has given rise to other splinter groups –– all built around coercing minors into escalating sexual and violent conduct.

“Members of these groups within the 764 network, including groups this juvenile belonged to, work in concert with one another towards the common purpose of destroying society through corruption and exploitation of vulnerable populations,” the FBI said in a statement.

“They want to sow chaos and create social unrest,” it added.

The teenager was convicted of multiple charges including conspiring to sexually exploit a child, the sexual exploitation and enticement of a child, cyberstalking and identity theft.

The name of the teenager was not released due to a law that prohibits the identification of juveniles charged with federal crimes. The teenager will serve a federal sentence to be followed by a period of supervised release.

An FBI spokesperson said she was barred by law from providing details on the length of the sentence.

“This case makes clear unfortunately, that parents must be vigilant, both to protect their children from the crimes of these extremists and to ensure their children do not fall to their influence,” Assistant Attorney General John Eisenberg said in a statement.