"Violent extremists who victimize vulnerable children online are among the worst predators in our community and across the country," U.S. Attorney Braden Boucek said, framing federal prosecutors' case after the arrest of a Tennessee man tied to an online violent-extremist collective.
The charges against Zachary Sweeney
Federal prosecutors say 30-year-old Zachary Sweeney was arrested Thursday and pleaded not guilty to multiple federal counts that could carry up to 50 years behind bars. He faces three counts of sexual exploitation and attempted sexual exploitation of a minor and three counts of receiving visual depictions of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), the Justice Department said. Prosecutors told the court they intend to request that Sweeney remain detained at his next hearing on June 3.
An alleged pattern of grooming, travel, and exploitation dating to 2022
According to the indictment and Justice Department statements, Sweeney allegedly groomed and coerced multiple children to produce CSAM, distributed and in some cases sold those materials, and traveled to meet victims in person. Authorities say he traveled to New York, Indiana, Missouri and Georgia to meet numerous victims. Investigators describe crimes and victim reports stretching back to at least 2022 and continuing through at least the summer of 2025.
Prosecutors allege some victims were coerced into participating in “virtual self-harm group video calls” with people the victims described as friends of Sweeney in The Com. In one case, an alleged victim told investigators Sweeney raped her and streamed the assault online; she died of an overdose in 2024, approximately ten days after FBI agents interviewed her. Court records also allege Sweeney drugged and raped other victims and shared videos of those acts online.
Digital traces, encrypted devices, and earlier leads
Federal agents say the investigation included multiple FBI inquiries and platform reports. More than two months before an FBI search of Sweeney’s St. Louis residence in September 2023, the company Meta provided two tips to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that linked him to Instagram chats containing CSAM. At the September 2023 search, agents seized devices that contained evidence of 99 possible CSAM images and videos, but encryption and passwords prevented further forensic examination, according to court records.
Prosecutors also allege Sweeney boasted about his crimes online and shared blackmail material, sexual-assault recordings and CSAM depicting underage female victims. Some alleged victims reported their experiences to authorities and online platforms, prompting FBI interviews as early as 2023.
764, The Com, and a string of related arrests
Authorities say Sweeney was an active participant in 764, a sprawling online collective the Justice Department describes as nihilistic and violently extremist and affiliated with a broader grouping called The Com. The DOJ’s public account characterizes those collectives as having thousands of members, typically between 11 and 25 years old, and as engaging in a mix of physical violence, cybercrime, extortion and the exploitation of vulnerable people.
Law enforcement activity against 764 and its offshoots intensified over the past year: two alleged leaders of 764, Leonidas Varagiannis and Prasan Nepal, were arrested and charged in April for directing and distributing CSAM; and Alexis Aldair Chavez of San Antonio pleaded guilty in December to multiple crimes tied to the sexual exploitation of children while acting as an administrator and leader of 8884, a splinter group of 764. “This operation puts every child predator on notice: the FBI will hunt you down and bring you to justice,” Terence Reilly, special agent in charge of the FBI Nashville Field Office, said in a statement.
What this means for law enforcement, online platforms, and families
- Law enforcement: Federal prosecutors and FBI field offices are treating alleged abuse tied to extremist collectives as a multi-jurisdictional priority — evident in repeated interviews, a September 2023 search, and coordinated arrests of suspected leaders in 2024–2026.
- Online platforms and safety groups: The case highlights platform reporting channels and third-party notifications, including Meta’s tips to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that preceded the FBI search; platforms’ ability to surface leads and to preserve data remains central to follow-up investigations.
- Families and communities: Prosecutors emphasize the long-term trauma inflicted on young victims; the Justice Department framed the allegations as an exploitation campaign that can degrade and traumatize victims for years, and in at least one instance preceded a victim’s death.
The indictment is publicly available and prosecutors are scheduled to press for detention at Sweeney’s June 3 court appearance. Beyond the immediate criminal case, the Justice Department’s account connects the alleged offenses to a broader pattern of online collectives cultivating notoriety through criminal acts, and it frames continued enforcement against those networks as an ongoing priority.
Original report: https://cyberscoop.com/tennessee-zachary-sweeney-764-charged-csam-exploitation/
