Latest news with #TheFifthEstate
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Yahoo
B.C. babysitter must be acquitted in toddler's drowning death, Supreme Court rules
The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that a woman originally convicted in the 2011 drowning death of a toddler in her care must be acquitted. Tammy Marion Bouvette was babysitting 19-month-old Iyanna Teeple in Cranbrook, B.C., in 2011 when the toddler was found unresponsive in the bath. Teeple was flown to a hospital in Calgary, where she later died. Bouvette was originally charged with second-degree murder in the child's death, then later pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of criminal negligence. She was sentenced to 12 months in jail. But an independent review of the case determined that the Crown hadn't disclosed all evidence to Bouvette or her counsel before she entered her guilty plea. In 2023, the B.C. Court of Appeal quashed her conviction and ordered a stay of proceedings, but declined to enter an acquittal. Bouvette appealed and, in a ruling released Friday morning, the Supreme Court of Canada concluded she should be immediately acquitted on the grounds that the Crown also sought an acquittal and said it would call no evidence at a new trial. 'A miscarriage of justice' The case became the subject of an investigation by CBC's The Fifth Estate in 2020 after CBC journalists uncovered a report that criticized pivotal pathology evidence in the Crown's case against Bouvette. Bouvette has maintained she did not abuse or kill the child and told The Fifth Estate she had wanted to avoid a lengthier prison sentence for a murder charge when she made her plea. In 2023, the B.C. Court of Appeal determined that the B.C. Prosecution Service had failed to disclose to Bouvette's defence lawyers several items of key evidence, including the pathology evidence report, which supported Bouvette's claim that she had not hurt or neglected the child. Bouvette's former defence lawyer told The Fifth Estate that he had not received that report from the Crown during the prosecution. At the time, the judges wrote that they "make no finding of bad faith or malice on the part of the Crown. But neither can we ignore that the disclosure breaches were not isolated or confined to information of dubious value to the appellant." "As a consequence of material non-disclosure, the appellant was deprived of the opportunity to make an informed decision about how to plead apprised of the strengths and weaknesses of the case against her on fundamental issues." The court ruled that Bouvette's criminal negligence conviction causing the toddler's death was "the product of a miscarriage of justice," and ordered a stay of proceedings because retrying her case would be an "abuse of process." Friday ruling In the Friday ruling, judges were unanimous in their decision, if for different reasons. Writing for the majority, Justice Nicholas Kasirer said the first possible ground for an acquittal under section 686(2) of the Criminal Code is where there's a lack of evidence to ground a reasonable conviction. The second possible ground is where the Crown seeks an acquittal and says it would call no evidence at a new trial. Kasirer said Bouvette was acquitted on this second ground.
CBC
01-05-2025
- CBC
Alleged leaders of child exploitation cult known as 764 arrested, charged
Warning: This story contains references to suicide, sexual abuse, violence, graphic material and language that may be upsetting to some readers. Two men have been arrested and charged with running an international child exploitation enterprise known as 764 which targets vulnerable minors online and coerces them to self-harm, make child sexual abuse material of themselves and participate in violent acts — including animal abuse and even suicide. Prasan Nepal, 20, who police say used the moniker "Trippy" in the 764 network, was arrested in North Carolina. Leonidas Varagiannis, a 21-year-old U.S. citizen, known as "War" was arrested in Greece, according to police. They allegedly led a core subgroup called 764 Inferno that operated using encrypted messaging platforms. Police say the men exploited at least eight minors, some as young as 13 years old. "The information in the criminal complaint is sickening," said an online investigator named Becca who tracks 764 and shares what she learns with law enforcement. For her safety, we are only using her first name. CBC's The Fifth Estate first investigated 764 and its related groups last year, and has since discovered victims around the world, including one in Red Deer, Alta., named Trinity. Trinity, whose identity CBC has agreed to protect for her safety, first reported her allegations of exploitation by 764 members to RCMP in July 2021 but did not hear from them again until last year after the FBI asked to meet with her. During the meeting with both law enforcement teams in May 2024, she provided officers with a list of names of 764 perpetrators who she says exploited her through Discord and Telegram. One of the names on that list was Trippy. Neither she nor her mother wanted to comment on the arrests saying they are trying to move past their ordeal. The Fifth Estate also interviewed a Canadian father whose 15-year-old daughter recently killed herself after being exploited by other members of 764 for at least two years. The CBC is not naming him to protect his daughter's identity and for his own safety. The father says he continues to be harassed by people he suspects are part of the network. News of the arrests "gives me hope," he said, adding that awareness, especially for parents and authorities, is critical. He says he missed the early signs of his daughter's exploitation, including self-harm. "That's the part that I hate," he said, "It was happening right in front of me and I didn't recognize it." Since its investigations into 764, The Fifth Estate has spoken with another parent who says her teenage daughter was victimized by 764 members for two years. The parent also says her daughter had contact with Varagiannis online. CBC has not independently verified that claim. She also asked to not be named for her family's privacy and safety. She says she hopes the arrests will diminish the network's access to other victims. "I also hope that this will send a warning to other members, or prospective members, that it's only a matter of time before their violent, predatory actions catch up with them and they're forced to face justice of their own.' Investigating the alleged top leaders According to an affidavit and criminal complaint unsealed Wednesday in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Nepal had been involved in 764 since its inception in 2020. He emerged as its leader in August 2021 after the founder, Bradley Cadenhead, was arrested by the FBI. Cadenhead created 764 in 2020 at the age of 15 and named the group after his area code in Stephenville, Texas. He is serving an 80-year sentence for pleading guilty to possession with intent to promote child pornography in 2023. Varagiannis is believed to have joined in December 2023 and became a co-leader of 764 Inferno, which was reserved solely for the inner core members of 764 and was by invitation only. Nepal and Varagiannis had strict rules for joining 764, according to police. Potential members had to produce and share content that often included child sexual abuse material and images of victims self harming. "These defendants are accused of orchestrating one of the most heinous online child exploitation enterprises we have ever encountered," said U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi in a media release Wednesday. Nepal and Varagiannis, along with two others, allegedly created a guide that gave prospective members instructions on how to create "content" by targeting vulnerable "e-girls," who struggled with mental illness. According to the affidavit, on May 27, 2024, Nepal posted step-by-step instructions in a chat on how to groom a victim. "Go to Reddit … or Twitter," he typed. "[Find a] self-harm community and speak with a girl like it's a normal friend" and "then seduce her with how much you love how she cuts." That content included sexually exploitative material and images of underage girls who had been coerced to cut the names of group members into their skin, according to police. Members reportedly compiled these images and videos into what they called "lorebooks" that were considered valuable currency within the group, often used to gain notoriety for 764 and to recruit more members. Expert says arrests are 'majorly significant' Becca calls the arrests "majorly significant" and says the fact the two are charged with running a global criminal network, and not individual child pornography charges, speaks to how seriously police are taking the threat. "They're working to get these guys charged with heavier crimes and sentences." Becca says Nepal's arrest is especially important because he was not only the self-proclaimed leader of 764, he was its most active member who created new Telegram and Discord channels to keep the group going when other accounts were banned by the platforms they were operating on. 764 has several offshoots, she adds, but in the course of her research she says she's found a single predator can have dozens, even hundreds of victims. "The impact is huge because of all the kids who could potentially be saved because of one person no longer being on the internet." Becca says Nepal's arrest has also caused panic in 764 chatrooms as authorities continue to crack down on the network. "That's really good news. We want them running on the backfoot." The father who spoke to The Fifth Estate about his daughter's victimization by 764 says he contacted police more than a year before his daughter took her life and says he initially felt dismissed by authorities. He says he is planning to channel his grief toward advocacy and is calling for social media platforms to do more to protect children online. "I'm still in shock about it," he said. "Our institutions are moving slowly against something that is moving very quickly." 764 posed threat of escalating violence The Fifth Estate has spoken to several experts and law enforcement officials who say police are now more aware of the threat. They say 764 stands out for its level of violence and for the age of its members, many of whom are minors themselves. In Canada, extremism researchers say there are likely perpetrators across the country and thousands of potential victims. The group also poses an escalating threat worldwide as it forges alliances with other violent online groups that promote mass killings and targeted attacks. Other violent acts have been linked to 764, including a school shooting earlier this year in Nashville, stabbings last fall in Sweden and the murder of an elderly woman in Romania in 2022. Police have also foiled deadly plots tied to the groups in the U.K. and the United States in recent months. In Italy, police arrested a member last month who they say was in the advanced stages of a plan to kill vulnerable people. The RCMP's counterterrorism unit is leading 764 investigations in Canada and issued a national public warning about the group last August. Police here have arrested at least two members of 764. In response to The Fifth Estate 's request for comment on the latest arrests and whether there are Canadian victims linked to the accused, in an email the RCMP says it works closely with its international partners and does not comment on ongoing or potential investigations and investigations conducted by other countries. It added: "Safeguarding Canadians from ideologically motivated violent extremism, such as that perpetrated by 764, remains a priority for the RCMP." As for Nepal and Varagiannis, if convicted, the charge of operating a child exploitation enterprise carries a minimum sentence of 20 years and a maximum of life in prison.
CBC
15-04-2025
- CBC
B.C. health-care workers' CRA accounts hacked after 28,000 social insurance numbers stolen in data breach
Nurse Leslie Warner will never forget being taken to her local RCMP detachment in Fernie, B.C., in 2022 and charged in a social security fraud operating out of Alberta. She says she was fingerprinted and had her mug shot taken. "I was like: 'Oh my God, this is my identity theft,'" Warner recalls telling police. "I did not do this." The fraud charges were dropped soon after she explained that an imposter had been using her identity since 2020, when someone hacked into her Canada Revenue Agency account and filed a bogus return in Alberta that stated tax preparation company H&R Block was her new "authorized representative." But Warner had never authorized H&R Block to file her taxes. Warner said she has been trying for years to understand how her identity — and at times her life — came to be hijacked. She is also still "nervous" about her CRA account being hacked again. The Fifth Estate has learned that Warner's name is one of thousands included in a massive breach of employees' personal information — including social insurance numbers — from the British Columbia government's Interior Health authority, which runs hospitals and medical facilities in the eastern part of the province. While it is unclear how many of those names were exploited by fraudsters, The Fifth Estate has found that stolen identities from several Interior Health employees — past and present — have been used to obtain bogus CRA refunds and fraudulent loans in the past several years. A former Ontario privacy commissioner says "it could be a nightmare" for individuals whose names and private identification are included in the breach. "This is horrible," said Ann Cavoukian, executive director of the Global Privacy and Security by Design Centre. "These are the things that have to be brought to the public's attention." 'Anonymous' sends Fifth Estate list of stolen identities A source, identifying themselves only by the name "Anonymous," wrote to The Fifth Estate last month and shared what they said was a list of names stolen from the B.C. government agency. The source said they obtained the list from sellers operating on the "dark web" who set up a group on the encrypted Telegram app in 2017 and then sold the data for about $1,000. The Fifth Estate has not independently verified the existence of the Telegram group or how much the data was sold for. However, The Fifth Estate has confirmed with numerous people on the stolen list that they did in fact work for B.C.'s Interior Health authority. All of them said that the information contained about them is accurate. The breach includes social insurance numbers, home addresses and birth dates of more than 28,000 employees who worked at the agency between 2003 and 2009. "As an ex-criminal who was involved in similar activities in the past, I now want to help others and right my wrongs," Anonymous wrote in an email to The Fifth Estate. "I believe this information could be extremely valuable in identifying and contacting potential and future fraud victims." If you worked at B.C.'s Interior Health authority between 2003 and 2009 and believe you may be the victim of stolen identity or a hacked CRA account, please email, in confidence, or text or call 416-526-4704. Click here to contact CBC News completely anonymously using SecureDrop. In their email to The Fifth Estate, Anonymous said the list was first obtained from a "data leak years ago" and that the information "has been sold and distributed to thousands of people over the past five to six years." The Fifth Estate has not confirmed how many people obtained the data. Scammers targeted H&R Block offices across Alberta For Warner, the knowledge her name was on the list has convinced her this is how her identity was stolen. She said she has even more questions now about how the breach happened, when it was first detected and how many other Interior Health employees have had their CRA accounts hacked or might in the future. "This is happening in real time," Warner said, adding she believes there are "masterminds" running the schemes who will continue "doing this to other people." A previous Fifth Estate /Radio-Canada investigation revealed that tens of thousands of Canadians have had their CRA accounts hacked since 2020 and that scammers have been taking advantage of security gaps between the Canada Revenue Agency and third-party tax preparation companies. Special CRA access codes assigned to third-party tax preparation companies have been repeatedly exploited by fraudsters to get into Canadians' tax accounts, The Fifth Estate learned. The Fifth Estate reported in March that two taxpayers in B.C., one from Creston and one from Kelowna, had their accounts hacked in 2023 and bogus returns filed in their names by imposters who had targeted H&R Block locations in Alberta. It turns out that both their names are also on the list of Interior Health employees recently leaked to The Fifth Estate. Like Warner, the Kelowna victim is also a nurse. Now, new documents and interviews with more stolen identity victims have revealed that at least six people who worked for Interior Health in B.C. had their CRA accounts hacked by imposters using various H&R Block locations across Alberta. A seventh stolen identity victim, a nurse from Penticton, was listed by imposters as the sole director of two federally registered shell companies in Edmonton. Fraudsters then used those fake companies in her name to produce the bogus T4 slips used in their tax frauds. "I feel dirty having been a victim of this," said the nurse, who did not want her name used publicly to protect her privacy, when contacted by The Fifth Estate. Those seven victims' names — and private identification — all show up in the leaked database of Interior Health authority employees that was sent to The Fifth Estate. Warner's ordeal began when she checked her CRA account in 2021 and realized an imposter had received a bogus tax refund in her name, after using her social insurance number and changing her email address and her direct deposit information to a bank account with Digital Commerce Bank in Calgary. And she had noticed she had three new authorized representatives: H&R BLOCK (OFFICE 50575). H&R BLOCK (50638). H&R BLOCK CANADA, INC. "I started looking through — my address had changed, my phone number had been changed. Suddenly I had children." Warner also noticed that the CRA sent a letter to the attention of an H&R Block tax preparer in Edmonton in March 2021, stating that he was Warner's "authorized contact for electronic filing." The following month records show the CRA sent a letter in her name to H&R Block's headquarters in Calgary. Warner was living and working in B.C. throughout that entire period. Internal memos reveal H&R Block aware of fraudsters In an email to The Fifth Estate last November, H&R Block stated it did not know of "any incidents" where Canadians had their CRA accounts hacked through the unauthorized use of its "EFILE credentials" — those special access codes that allow third parties to file returns on behalf of customers. Still, internal H&R Block messages obtained by The Fifth Estate show that the company was aware that fraudsters were using their offices to file false returns. An undated H&R Block memo labelled "Out-of-Province Tax Filers" states that: "We have seen an increase in fraud by people claiming to move from British Columbia to Alberta." Another notice to employees, dated April 14, 2022, stated that H&R Block has "seen fraudulent cases in Edmonton and Calgary" of bogus T4 slips from a fake company called "Hawt shotz Deliveries Inc." The following year, on June 15, 2023, an "updated" memo stated that "there are currently two fraudsters" trying to use bogus T4 slips from a numbered company in Edmonton. Imposters, the memo stated, tried unsuccessfully to get instant refunds at H&R Block locations in Red Deer and Edmonton. The Fifth Estate reported last month that imposters used a fake T4 slip from that same numbered company to get an instant refund through an H&R Block office in Alberta, after successfully hacking into the CRA account of the former Interior Health employee living in Creston, B.C. The internal H&R Block memo also warns that scammers appeared to be using fake IDs and the "stolen identity" of two more people whose names also show up in the leaked list from B.C.'s Interior Health authority. One H&R Block employee, who says headquarters instructed its workforce this year not to talk to reporters, told The Fifth Estate they believe the tax preparation company's main concern was "not losing money" rather than pursuing the fraudsters. In a statement Friday, H&R Block said its previous statement about not knowing of any Canadians being affected by unauthorized use of its EFILE credentials is accurate. "What you are referring to is a matter of identity theft and unrelated to EFILE credentials," H&R Block said. "It is misleading and irresponsible to make any assumptions around the circumstances relating to any fraudulent tax filing incident, and to make assertions about a specific party's ultimate responsibility for it," reads the statement. H&R Block did not specifically address how imposters were able to successfully use H&R Block offices to process the bogus returns and hack into CRA accounts. Interior Health alerted to stolen names last March In March 2024, B.C.'s Interior Health Authority issued a media release that some employees' personal information had been found during an RCMP investigation and asked anyone who had worked for the agency between 2003 and 2009 to call a 1-800 number to see if their name was on the list. Several employees whose names, addresses, dates of birth and social insurance numbers show up on the list provided to The Fifth Estate say the health agency told them they were not on the list. Interior Health has said the list the RCMP found contained 20,000 names. The list provided to The Fifth Estate contains 28,000 names. In its media release last year, Interior Health said it had hired "external security experts" from audit and consulting firm Deloitte Canada who "confirmed that this information is not on the dark web." The dark web is often used by criminal networks to buy and sell stolen information. In their email, Anonymous told The Fifth Estate that they learned about the stolen data on the dark web and any statement to the contrary "is untrue." "Me personally, as well as others, have bought it on Telegram shops, and other dark web forums," Anonymous wrote. "I'm sure [Interior Health] released that statement as a protection from liability and act like it's not that big of a leak." Information on the dark web can come and go over time. WATCH | Could CRA deals with tax companies be partly to blame for accounts being hacked? Tax Hack: Identity Theft 1 month ago Duration 45:10 Tens of thousands of tax accounts have been hacked and hundreds of millions of dollars have disappeared as criminals game the system by stealing identities and filing bogus returns. Could the CRA's deals with tax companies be partly to blame? Deloitte declined to answer questions about how, or when, it might have determined something was not on the dark web, citing client confidentiality. In a statement, Interior Health's vice-president of digital health, Brent Kruschel, wrote that "due to the age of the data and its broad scope, IH was not able to accurately confirm where the information came from." "As this remains an active RCMP investigation and before the courts, Interior Health is not able to provide additional information," he said. For her part, Warner said she does not want to point fingers except at the criminals who stole her identity. She simply has more questions — about who knew what and when and why she wasn't told earlier.
CBC
14-04-2025
- CBC
Alleged wheelman in Pearson gold heist strikes plea deal in U.S.
The alleged wheelman in the 2023 heist at Toronto's Pearson airport has agreed to plead guilty to arms-trafficking charges in the U.S., which prosecutors allege stemmed from an effort to spend some of $20 million worth of stolen gold on guns. Durante King-McLean of Brampton, Ont., who has been in custody in Pennsylvania since state troopers pulled him over in September 2023, signed the deal on Friday — pleading guilty to conspiracy to traffic firearms, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison or a fine of $250,000. The plea agreement must be finalized by a judge. A hearing is scheduled for May 14 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg. It is unclear when he will be sentenced. When police pulled King-McLean over, they say they found 65 firearms in his vehicle, which they believe were destined for Canada. Peel Regional Police have alleged they were likely purchased with the proceeds of that spring's gold heist at Pearson International Airport. Peel police and a draft of the Crown's case against the suspects in the heist allege King-Mclean was the man behind the wheel of the white van that pulled away from an Air Canada cargo building with more than $20 million worth of gold, plus large amounts of foreign currency. WATCH | New clues in Pearson heist: Who masterminded the historic Toronto gold heist? CBC News obtains new clues 2 months ago Duration 2:38 An internal document obtained by CBC's The Fifth Estate suggests suspect Arsalan Chaudhary may be the principal planner of the 2023 gold heist at Toronto's Pearson International Airport — the largest in Canadian history. He still faces charges of theft over $5,000 and possession of property obtained by crime in Canada. Two other suspects in the heist were also implicated by the U.S. Department of Justice in the arms-trafficking scheme: Archit Grover, who is awaiting trial in Canada, and Prasath Paramalingam, whose whereabouts are unknown. The Justice Department alleges in court filings that King-McLean illegally entered the U.S., and travelled north from Florida, stopping to buy various weapons with the intent of selling them in Canada. Paramalingam is accused of helping King-McLean enter the U.S., traffic the firearms, secure money for the scheme and even of helping arrange an Airbnb for him in Florida. Grover is alleged to have been an accessory to the firearms trafficking. King-McLean's plea raises the question of whether he will be extradited to face charges in Canada. Ontario's Ministry of the Attorney General directed questions about what this might mean for the charges King-McLean faces in Canada, and whether he may be returned to the country for trial, to the federal government. As a general rule, the federal government does not comment on extradition matters while they are in process.
CBC
21-03-2025
- CBC
This violent extremist network targets kids online
THE FIFTH ESTATE An Alberta teen was trapped inside a network that the RCMP says is 'unlike anything' its counterterrorism unit has ever seen. By The Fifth Estate Mar. 21, 2025 WARNING: This story contains references to suicide, sexual abuse, violence, graphic material and language that may be upsetting to some readers. Maria desperately banged on the door as she pleaded through tears for her 15-year-old daughter Trinity to come out. 'Look what they've done to me,' Trinity said as she finally unlocked the door in their Red Deer, Alta., home, lifting her shirt to reveal the myriad of usernames and symbols, including a swastika, carved into her skin. 'I can't take this anymore.' ADVERTISEMENT Just moments before, Trinity was livestreaming her attempt to kill herself on a private Discord server while dozens of predators goaded her on. It was July 11, 2021, and the culmination of months of exploitation by members of a violent extremist group called 764 who prey on vulnerable minors and lure them into their dark and depraved online community. 'We have tried to tell this story and nobody believes it. It's too obscure, it's too obscene,' said Trinity, who is now 19. For their safety, we are not using Trinity or Maria's last names. The Fifth Estate has learned despite reporting her exploitation at the hands of 764 to the RCMP in 2021 and providing evidence, including phones and a laptop, no charges have been laid in Trinity's case. Watch the full documentary, ' Trapped: The Online Terror Network,' from The Fifth Estate on YouTube or on CBC-TV Friday at 9 p.m. The RCMP acknowledges it is trying to keep up with 764's evolving threat and issued a warning about the group in 2024 — three years after Trinity reported it and nearly a year after the FBI first warned of 764's global threat to children. 'It was difficult to be heard, it was difficult to be believed,' said Maria. 'It was a pretty traumatic experience, not only for her, but as her mom, to watch her deteriorate to nothing while begging for help.' Maria and Trinity shared their story publicly for the first time with The Fifth Estate. It's been painful for them but they said they wanted to as both a cautionary tale and to try to help other victims and families come forward and find a sense of justice that still eludes them. The RCMP have acknowledged to The Fifth Estate that initially law enforcement didn't know what it was dealing with. 'It's something that internationally, both police and our intelligence security partners are still trying to wrap our heads around,' said Insp. Matt Johnson, who is with the RCMP's counterterrorism unit, known as Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET), in Edmonton. 'It's unlike anything we've seen before.' I. How 764 lures its victims 764 deliberately targets vulnerable children by prowling on popular gaming sites like Minecraft and Roblox, where members lure them into private online chats on Discord and Telegram. Often, these spaces are disguised as safe places for minors with eating disorders or poor self-esteem. Experts say the grooming includes lavishing victims with attention and exposing them to violent content to desensitize them. Victims are then coerced into sending sexually explicit images and to self-harm, including carving their predator's names into their skin as a sign of devotion. Members of 764 threaten to share the images with family and friends to get their victims to do even worse, like hurting their pets, harming others and even killing themselves, all in an effort to exert control for their own gratification. The FBI first warned the public about 764 in September 2023 amid a series of arrests, including Bradley Cadenhead, a 15-year-old from Texas who founded the group in 2020 and named it after his zip code. Cadenhead is serving an 80-year sentence in 2023 for pleading guilty to possession with intent to promote child pornography. 'The most horrendous part about it is it is minors doing this to minors,' said Marc-André Argentino, a senior researcher at Public Safety Canada specializing in extremism movements. 'We're talking about 13-year-olds targeting 16-year-olds, 16-year-olds sextorting 11-year-olds, 12-year-olds.' In February 2024, police in Lethbridge, Alta., identified Canada's first case involving a 764 member when a 14-year-old boy was charged with a series of offences, including making and distributing child pornography. Argentino said law enforcement have located cases in at least 23 countries, and he estimates there are likely both perpetrators and victims in every province in Canada. 'There's no activism,' said Argentino, who writes a blog that helps law enforcement understand what they're up against. Despite drawing inspiration from satanic neo-Nazi movements, he said 764 and its related groups' shared motivation is to destroy society. 'They're not even worried about the disappearance of the white race. This is actually an interracial community. They just want to be the most violent, the most misanthropic type of individual they can be.' WATCH | Victimizing minors for clout: Argentino says they're doing it for bragging rights and to gain status in the network. The Fifth Estate obtained a 'lore book' created by a handful of members of a group within the 764 network called Harm Nation. Predators show off images of multiple victims whom they have forced to carve their usernames into their bodies and harm their pets, often on livestreams. 'It's soul-crushing to go into these spaces,' said Argentino, who has seen even worse 764 content. 'Some of these individuals, they're targeting dozens of victims on a daily basis.' If you or someone you know has been exploited by 764 and you have information you'd like to share, please email and II. How Trinity fell prey to 764 Looking back, Trinity says she was a perfect target for 764. She told The Fifth Estate she was sexually abused for years by a family member, and by age 12 it led her to self-harm. Trinity said she also struggled with substance abuse and attempted suicide multiple times. The abuse also left her, she said, with a distorted view of male affection. 'I still needed that male validation in a terrible way,' Trinity said. 'It's really sick and twisted.' One day, Trinity said, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, a friend showed her some gore videos, which often include graphic violence and blood. She asked him to invite her to the server on Discord. Once there, she met a 764 member who invited her to a 764 Telegram channel, where she saw young female victims cutting themselves and attempting suicide. She was horrified, but she was also bombarded with the attention she craved. 'They figured out how easy I am to manipulate,' Trinity said, and would 'call me sweet names like 'little princess' and make me feel like I was genuinely adored.' Trinity said the manipulation deepened and within weeks she was being exploited by more than a dozen predators who forced her to share sexually explicit images and to cut herself. Trinity said if she resisted any demands, 764 members threatened to share the images with her school, her friends and family. 'It was terrible blackmail,' she said. 'I was terrified.' Trinity tried to hide what was going on from Maria, but her behaviour had become erratic. Maria took Trinity's phone away and was shocked to find sexually exploitative and self-harm images of Trinity. WATCH | The fears a mother had for her daughter: Desperate for help, Maria said she called Alberta's Children and Family Services, a provincial welfare agency that offers support services to children and youth. While social workers offered some guidance, Maria wanted them to put Trinity in a treatment facility, but they all had waitlists. When Trinity tried to run away because Maria turned off the Wi-Fi or took away her phone, she called the RCMP, which is the municipal police force in Red Deer. Maria said she told police she feared her daughter was being exploited by an online cult. She said officers offered to look out for Trinity while on patrol, but beyond that, Maria said, 'I still very much felt that I was unheard.' III. Trinity meets her worst tormentor yet During this time, Trinity met a 764 member who went by Mk Ultra, who became her worst tormentor yet, she said. As the online relationship developed, Trinity wrote about his hold over her in her diary. She said he forced her to carve his username on her torso. She wrote him a letter of devotion splattered with her blood, and signed it 'Alexis.' It was the pseudonym 764 had given her early on. Trinity said Mk Ultra's demands only got darker, to the point he wanted her to sacrifice her dogs and even kill her own mother. 'And then he was supposed to come and we were supposed to go on a literal killing spree where he would abduct females, rape young females … and then kill them,' Trinity said. 'He turned me into someone I could never ever think of being.' Maria said she had seen some of the text messages and lived in fear for months. 'I would sleep with a kitchen knife under my pillow.' IV. Trinity tells police about 764 It was one of the darkest points before Trinity's suicide attempt in July 2021. When she was admitted to hospital, doctors were so alarmed by the cuts on Trinity's body they called the police. 'I told them everything,' Trinity said. 'They had a female officer take photos of my body. I was covered head to toe in names, symbols. I had a swastika right in the middle of my chest.' Trinity was placed in protective care for about a month. The court order obtained by The Fifth Estate notes that she was dragged into a 'cult community called '764'' and that the RCMP was 'concerned that without proper intervention there was potential for Trinity to be harmed and the pattern to continue.' Officers also took two phones and a laptop to Calgary for analysis by the RCMP's Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit, which specializes in retrieving electronic evidence. 'I wanted them to find all of the cutting pictures,' said Maria. 'I'll never forget them. They're imprinted and burned in my brain for the rest of my life.' But a few weeks after police took the electronics, Maria said, investigators called to say the Apple ID passwords provided were incorrect. Maria and Trinity say they couldn't remember the right ones because 764 would force Trinity to constantly change passwords and emails to evade detection. 'I was flabbergasted, like you guys specialize in this,' said Maria. 'There's no way that you couldn't break into a child's phone.' Investigators held onto the devices for a few more months, but in February 2022, police returned them. Maria said they told her they couldn't find any evidence without the passwords. 'The evidence of her body should have been evidence enough.' Maria said. 'Her statement should have been evidence enough.' Maria threw out the phones and laptop and attempted to move on. V. American detective connects dots in Trinity's case Three years passed before Maria heard from law enforcement about 764. But this time, it was a police officer thousands of kilometres away in North Carolina. Det. Abraham Basco, who investigates internet crimes against children with the police department in Winston-Salem, N.C., had learned that she was the mother of a victim of 764 and wanted to speak to her about it. He had arrested an 18-year-old man named Kierre Cutler in a 764 case, but had never spoken to a victim of 764 or their family. Cutler had been sentenced to seven years in prison after he pleaded guilty to one count of distributing child pornography for sharing an image on Discord. In his 16-year career in the police department, Basco said nothing prepared him for what he saw on Cutler's phone. 'The only word I could come up with was, it was just absolutely evil.' Basco said Cutler had created his own 764 splinter group and was manipulating hundreds of minors online. He had more than 700 images of child sexual abuse material on his phone. During a police interview after the arrest, Basco said he asked why he did it, and Cutler told him: 'I don't know. I like the blood.' Basco also found an image of a letter on Kierre Cutler's phone with blood droplets on it, addressed to 'MK' and signed by someone named Alexis, but he didn't know who she was. During their phone call, he mentioned to Maria he'd been looking for someone named Alexis. 'And my mom said: '[764] named her Alexis' and he was like: 'Oh my God,'' said Trinity. Basco had just discovered Trinity had been exploited by the man he had put behind bars. Kierre Cutler was MKUltra. Basco said he was able to confirm that some of the photos he saw on Cutler's phone were of Trinity. 'That's a scary thought, especially as a parent,' he said. 'That your kid could be 1,000 miles away from a suspect or from a victimizer. And yet they have such… a hold.' When asked to respond to an email about Trinity's case, his lawyer said Cutler declined to comment. Cutler wasn't charged in relation to Trinity'exploitation, but Basco said he wanted her to know the police believed her and felt she deserved to be spoken to in person. He arranged for the FBI from North Carolina to travel to Red Deer last May. The RCMP was notified of the visit and joined the FBI at the Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre in Red Deer, where the interview took place. A female RCMP officer led the interview. It was the first time Maria says the Mounties spoke to them about 764 since Trinity's suicide attempt three years before. 'I feel like: 'Wow, you dropped the ball,'' said Maria. 'When somebody comes to you with such a far-fetched story, not only that, but cuts all over a child's body and pictures, maybe you should have believed us.' ADVERTISEMENT While it was hard to revisit her abuse, Trinity said she also felt she was reclaiming her power. She gave police a list of usernames of members she said exploited her. Among them was 764 founder Bradley Cadenhead, known as Felix online. Others on the list are likely still at large. When the interview was over, Maria said the RCMP officers asked her if she had any questions. 'I had to ask them: 'Where the f–k were you? Where were you?'' Maria said. ''Where were you when I needed you?'' Trinity said the officers 'started stammering and didn't know how to answer that question." VI. Police consider 764 a terror threat Since Trinity reported her exploitation to police in 2021, 764 has only become more dangerous. Argentino's research has found recent alliances between 764 and other online extremist groups like No Lives Matter (NLM) and Maniac Murder Cult (MKY or MKU). Both promote targeted attacks and mass killings and circulate so-called 'kill guides' online. The Fifth Estate has found those new alliances are linked to a school shooting in Nashville this past January where a 16-year-old student was killed. Argentino said other attacks include several stabbings in Sweden last fall and the killing of an elderly woman in Romania in 2022. Police have also foiled deadly plots tied to the groups in the U.K. and the United States in recent months. In Italy, police arrested a member last month who they say was in the advanced stages of a plan to kill vulnerable people. Late last year, Winnipeg police investigated more than two dozen instances of antisemitic graffiti in the Charleswood area, many that included MKY tags. A 19-year-old man was charged with 26 counts of mischief in January. On Monday, RCMP's national security enforcement section charged him with terror-related offences, including participating in an activity related to a terrorism group. The RCMP told The Fifth Estate 764 is now classified as a terror threat and that it is investigating a number of 764 cases across the country, but would not offer more details. 'We know there are active threat actors in our global environment, including in Canada, that are actively engaging in violent acts on children and encouraging them to commit terrorist attacks.' said Insp. Matt Johnson with INSET, 'so it is a threat.' Johnson acknowledges police are still trying to understand the threat they're facing, and it's why cases may be missed when they are first reported. 'You're telling me that these people are trafficking child sexual abuse material, adhere to neo-Nazi satanic cult principles and also engage in terrorism? How strange does that sound? How otherworldly does that sound? ' VII. Looking for accountability Since meeting with the FBI last May, Maria has tried to get a copy of Trinity's police file but was told the case is still active and could not be shared. The Fifth Estate asked Insp. Johnson from the RCMP about Trinity. He said he could not comment on the specifics of any case and acknowledged police may not have known enough about 764 at the time of her victimization. 'This was something that we didn't really have on our radar in 2021 as far as 764 investigation. So I know that's something that potentially could have played a factor in it.' WATCH | Police weren't focusing on 764: But as our investigation uncovered, the RCMP in Red Deer did know about 764 in 2021. Officers had taken photos of the cuts on Trinity's body and had interviewed her at the hospital. The Fifth Estate also asked Red Deer RCMP to explain why its internet child exploitation unit couldn't break into the electronics the family submitted to police. In emails, it repeated to The Fifth Estate that the family provided incorrect passwords and that despite using other investigational techniques, police were still unable to access one of the phones and that it could take years to crack it. Police said they were able to get into the laptop but would not answer our questions about whether they found any evidence on it or if they were able to access the other phone, saying they couldn't discuss the case further because Trinity was a minor at the time. VIII. Dealing with a 'new threat' Earlier this month, the FBI published a second public safety alert, warning of a 'sharp increase' in activity among 764 and its related groups. In fact, just last week, yet another 764 perpetrator was handed a seven-year sentence for possessing child sexual abuse material. According to the FBI, the 19-year-old Tampa, Fla., man had more than 8,000 images videos saved on his devices, and had carefully organized folders on a thumb drive, including a 'trophies' folder that contained images of girls who had written or carved his 764 name or variations of it on their bodies. As police crack down, another glaring question is how to deal with the offenders, many of whom are minors themselves. 'I don't feel that we should be giving up on children because this is what they are at such an early age,' said Argentino. 'You can't tell me that an 11-year-old who's involved in this space is already forsaken.' Some, like 764's founder, are serving long prison sentences, but Argentino believes rehabilitation should be the focus. Peter Smyth, a social worker with Edmonton's Organization for the Prevention of Violence (OPV), is grappling with what that looks like. OPV works to reintegrate extremists into society and is the first group like it in Canada working with 764 members. Both cases it has taken on involve minors who were referred by the courts on the recommendation of RCMP's counterterrorism unit. Smyth said he and his team are still in the reactive phase and are trying to figure out how to establish trust with those minors. 'People would look at what's going on and the harm that is being caused, the children perpetrating on children, and think, well, they must be sociopaths,' said Smyth, adding that in his work with hundreds of youth, he's rarely seen a case that ends up with that conclusion. More often, he said, perpetrators have their own history of abuse and learn to detach from the violence they inflict on others. "That's why we look at more of this as dissociation,' said Smyth. 'In another setting, with the right support and help, could they demonstrate compassion and empathy?' He said it's unclear what their capacity is to do further harm, 'but without any intervention, there is reason to believe that they'll continue to do this or become more entrenched in this way of thinking.' IX. Raising awareness for parents and police Matt Richardson, an internet safety expert who has been tracking 764, says parents should look for indicators outlined in police releases that include 'drastic changes in personal demeanour and styles, increased time online, or increased secrecy of online activity.' Richardson, who is head of intelligence for the Canadian Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) Centre, said other signs may include; wearing long sleeve clothing on warm days to hide evidence of self harm and household pets that begin acting uncharacteristically anxious around children or teens. 'More than ever we as caring adults need to be present and engaged in our children's lives and be prepared to act swiftly,' Richardson said. The RCMP issued a national advisory last summer about the danger of 764 and related groups, three years after Trinity was first interviewed by police. In the fall, the Mounties launched a national strategy to raise awareness among front-line officers and the public, including schools and families, according to Johnson. 'Parents need to be aware,' said Johnson. ' And not just parents — adults that have a significant part of a child's life be their guardian, a teacher, counsellor, a coach. They have to be aware of potential signs and indicators.' ADVERTISEMENT Maria said she's relieved that RCMP have made 764 a priority, especially given the group's increasing fixation with public acts of violence. 'I am glad that they're listening now because the way Trinity was involved then, if they were convincing kids to do mass shooting, my kid would have done that,' said Maria. 'And that is terrifying to think [about].' It's too late for a Canadian father whom The Fifth Estate interviewed last February for our first investigation into 764. For his safety, we are not revealing his name or where he lives. WATCH | How hate groups target kids on social media platforms: He told police that his teenage daughter was being exploited by 764 for months. He said he felt his concerns were overlooked, even as the exploitation continued. A few weeks ago, that father reached out to The Fifth Estate to let us know his daughter recently killed herself. It was devastating news for Trinity and her mother, who had been in touch with him. In what they feel is an absence of police attention, families dealing with 764 have formed their own informal networks of support. X. A measure of closure Last December, a few weeks after The Fifth Estate interviewed the RCMP, an officer from the INSET detachment in Edmonton reached out to Maria. In a meeting the following month, Maria said he told her he was not there to apologize but to answer any questions she had about Trinity's file. 'I really wanted to know if I did everything that I could to fight for her during that time,' said Maria. 'They did say, 'I did see the files, I did hear the calls. And as a parent, I wouldn't have done anything any different than you did.'' The officer also offered to help take down any images of Trinity that might still be online and asked them both to consider speaking about their ordeal to help raise awareness. Trinity has been through treatment to deal with her past substance abuse and is seeing a therapist who she says is helping her move forward. 'I want my complete focus to be on stability,' said Trinity. 'I have gone through so much, so much. I really need to settle down and find my common ground and live my best life.' Warning signs to look out for The FBI recommends that individuals keep an eye out for the following potential indicators and warning signs: Sudden behavior changes such as becoming withdrawn, moody, or irritable. Sudden changes in appearance, especially neglect of appearance. Changes in eating or sleeping habits. Dropping out of activities and becoming more isolated and withdrawn. A new online "friend" or network prospective victims seem infatuated with and/or scared of. Receipt of anonymous gifts, such as items delivered to your home, currency, gaming currency or other virtual items. Scars, often in patterns. Fresh cuts, scratches, bruises, bite marks, burns, or other wounds. Carvings, such as words or symbols, on the skin. Wearing long sleeves or pants in hot weather. Writing in blood or what appears to be blood. Threatening to commit suicide and openly talking about death, not being wanted or needed, or not being around. Idealization of mass shooting or mass casualty events. Family pets or other animals being harmed or dying under suspicious circumstances. Family pets uncharacteristically avoid or are fearful of your child or you. Law enforcement being called to the home under false pretenses (known as swatted or doxxed) by an unknown person. If you or someone you know is struggling, here's where to look for help: Canada's Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call or text 988. Canadian Mental Health Association's crisis line: 1-833-456-4566. In Quebec: 1-866-277-3553. You can also text 45645. Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868. Text 686868. Live chat counselling on the website. Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention: Find a 24-hour crisis centre. This guide from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health outlines how to talk about suicide with someone you're worried about. If you or someone you know is being exploited, you can report it to Canada's national tipline for online sexual exploitation of children: or call 1-866-658-9022 If you believe someone is in immediate danger, please call 9-1-1. Top image: CBC Related Stories Footer Links My Account Profile CBC Gem Newsletters Connect with CBC Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram Mobile RSS Podcasts Contact CBC Submit Feedback Help Centre Audience Relations, CBC P.O. 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