Leader of ‘764’ Extremist Network Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Sexually Exploit Children

A North Carolina man identified by federal prosecutors as a senior leader of the international violent extremist network “764” has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit sexual exploitation of a child.

Prasan Nepal, 21, of High Point, entered the plea Oct. 8, according to the Justice Department. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years. Sentencing is scheduled for March 5, 2027.

Prosecutors said Nepal, widely known online as “Trippy,” helped direct a network that used threats, manipulation and blackmail to exploit children and produce child sexual abuse material. Members also coerced victims into self-harm and other violent or abusive conduct.

According to court documents described by the department, Nepal and co-defendant Leonidas Varagiannis, known as “War,” served as core leaders of 764 and its subgroup, 764 Inferno. Authorities describe 764 as a nihilistic violent extremist network whose ideology promotes chaos, violence and societal destabilization.

From approximately 2021 through 2025, Nepal and others used encrypted platforms to coordinate the exploitation of minors around the world, prosecutors said. Network leaders managed recruitment, enforced membership rules and oversaw the production and distribution of material used to control victims.

Prospective members were required to produce abusive material to gain entry and status within the group. Leaders monitored participation and promoted members based on the severity of the material they helped generate, according to the department.

Prosecutors said the network circulated guides instructing members to target particularly vulnerable people, including those experiencing depression or mental illness. Members sought personal information that could later be used to threaten victims and force their compliance.

The resulting sexual abuse and violent material was compiled into digital collections called “Lorebooks.” According to prosecutors, members traded these collections, stored them in encrypted digital archives and used them to recruit others or maintain their standing within the network.

Court documents identified at least eight minor victims across multiple jurisdictions, including children as young as 13. Federal investigators identified more than a dozen active co-conspirators associated with Nepal and Varagiannis.

The Justice Department said some alleged participants operated in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, while others targeted minors elsewhere in the United States and abroad.

Nepal joined 764 around early 2021 and became a leader following another member’s arrest that August, according to prosecutors. He remained in a leadership role through April 2025 and was arrested that year.

Varagiannis is being held at Grevena Prison in northern Greece. The Justice Department said he is expected to stand trial within six months on charges related to child pornography and participation in a criminal organization. Those charges remain allegations.

The FBI Washington Field Office is investigating the case, with assistance from the bureau’s New York and Charlotte offices and international partners. Prosecutors from the Justice Department’s National Security Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia are handling the prosecution.

The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a federal initiative established in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and identify and rescue victims. The FBI provides resources for parents and caregivers about protecting children from online exploitation.