Federal authorities unsealed an indictment Tuesday charging five men with leading an online child exploitation enterprise known as “Greggy’s Cult,” which allegedly used Discord servers to coerce minors into producing child sexual abuse material and to threaten victims. The defendants—Hector Bermudez, 29, of Queens, New York; Zachary Dosch, 26, of Albuquerque, New Mexico; Rumaldo Valdez, 22, of Honolulu, Hawaii; David Brilhante, 28, of San Diego, California; and Camden Rodriguez, 22, of Longmont, Colorado—were arrested across the country and will be arraigned in the Eastern District of New York.
According to the indictment, between January 2020 and January 2021, members of Greggy’s Cult used Discord and other online platforms to direct minor victims on video calls to engage in sexually explicit or degrading acts. The group allegedly created and distributed child pornography, encouraged self-harm, and harassed both minor and adult victims. Federal prosecutors say the defendants and other group members captured screenshots and recordings of abuse and circulated them across multiple Discord servers.
The indictment further alleges that the group extorted victims, including by threatening to frame adults as child predators or by sending malware to minors’ devices. Victims were coerced into acts such as professing they were “owned” by group members or displaying members’ names on their bodies in so-called “fansigns.” Officials noted that Greggy’s Cult predated other online extortion networks, including one known as “764,” with some overlap in membership.
“No child should ever be terrorized or exploited online,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi, emphasizing the department’s continued commitment to protecting children and prosecuting offenders. FBI Director Kash Patel said the defendants “can’t hide in the shadows hovering over a keyboard,” praising the coordinated investigation. Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti described the charged conduct as “unspeakable,” and U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. called the alleged actions “monstrous,” urging parents to speak with children about online safety.
Individuals who believe they may have been victimized or who have information related to the case are encouraged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
The case is being prosecuted by the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. It is part of Project Safe Childhood, a national initiative aimed at combating online child exploitation.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
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