Docs: ‘psychological torment'; children exploited in operation across US; two charged
Editor's Note — Some details of the case, as laid out by the U.S. Attorney's Office, may be disturbing. Please use discretion when reading or sharing the content.
WASHINGTON () — The United States Attorney's Office for D.C. () announced that two leaders of a violent extremist network that has ties to child exploitation cases across the country were taken into custody.
Leonidas Varagiannis, also known as 'War,' 21, and Prasan Nepal, also known as 'Trippy,' 20, were both arrested and charged for allegedly running an international child exploitation network known as '764.'
Varagiannis, who is a U.S. citizen and lives in Greece, was arrested on April 29, and Nepal, was arrested in North Carolina on April 22.
According to an affidavit in D.C., the '764' is a network of violent extremists who engage in criminal conduct in the United States and abroad. The group's activities spanned from late 2020 and continued into early 2025 and sought to destroy and exploit vulnerable people, who are often children, officials said.
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Varagiannis and Nepal are accused of engaging and coordinating the '764,' which operated through encrypted messaging applications. The pair allegedly directed and caused the production and distribution of child sex abuse material (CSAM) while manipulating and grooming minors.
The group then used the CSAM to create digital 'lorebooks,' which they used as digital currency to trade and to recruit new members.
The attorney's office said Varagiannis and Nepal encouraged their victims to harm themselves and engage in psychological torment. Some of the content included 'cut signs' and 'blood signs,' where young girls will cut symbols into their bodies.
In multiple instances, Varagiannis and Nepal threatened and caused victims to engage in self-mutilation, harm animals, sexual acts, murder, suicide, acts of violence and more, a release states.
Officials said Varagiannis and Nepal are also accused of exploiting at least eight children across multiple jurisdictions. Some of the content traced back to children as young as 13.
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'These defendants are accused of orchestrating one of the most heinous online child exploitation enterprises we have ever encountered – a network built on terror, abuse, and the deliberate targeting of children,' said Attorney General Bondi. 'We will find those who exploit and abuse children, prosecute them, and dismantle every part of their operation.'
'These arrests expose one of the most disturbing online child exploitation networks we've ever encountered,' added NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. 'A group that glorified violence, weaponized abuse, and targeted children to advance a deeply depraved ideology. Through the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the NYPD is proud to have partnered with federal and international authorities to dismantle this horrific operation and protect the most vulnerable among us.'
If convicted, Varagiannis and Nepal both face a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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