NASHVILLE – An indictment was unsealed today charging Zachary Sweeney, 30, of Columbia, Tennessee, with multiple counts of child sexual exploitation, announced United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Braden H. Boucek. According to court documents, Sweeney has been connected to Nihilistic Violent Extremist (“NVE”) groups similar to “764”.
“Violent extremists who victimize vulnerable children online are among the worst predators in our community and across the country,” said United States Attorney Braden H. Boucek. “Our office and our law enforcement partners will do whatever it takes to stop these predators from harming more children and hold them accountable for the damage they have already caused.”
“This operation puts every child predator on notice: the FBI will hunt you down and bring you to justice,” said Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly of the FBI Nashville Field Office. “Removing violent extremists from our streets protects our most innocent and vulnerable members of society. The FBI will continue to work with our partners across the state of Tennessee to aggressively investigate those who seek to exploit or harm them.”
According to court documents, Sweeney has an extensive history of engaging in criminal conduct related to the exploitation of minors, including conduct related to NVEs. NVEs are individuals who engage in criminal conduct within the United States and abroad, in furtherance of political, social, or religious goals that derive primarily from a hatred of society at large and a desire to bring about its collapse by sowing indiscriminate chaos, destruction, and social instability.
According to court documents, investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation into Sweeney’s conduct revealed multiple allegations of victimization of minors by Sweeney from at least 2022 until 2025. Sweeney has on numerous occasions, groomed and coerced minors into producing Child Sexual Abuse Material (“CSAM”), distributed and in some cases sold this material, and traveled to meet with minor victims during which time he is alleged to have drugged, raped, and filmed sexual acts with the minors. Additionally, Sweeney has committed these acts for, and engaged in others consistent with, the group 764 and its affiliates. These include coercing minors to self-harm, sending them drugs to take and stream themselves committing sexual acts and acts of self-harm online, and making threats of swatting and doxxing.
One prior victim alleged that she began interacting with Sweeney around the age of 16 or 17. She reported to investigators that Sweeney requested sexual images and videos of her and convinced her to make fan signs, specifically directing her to cut or carve his nickname into herself or use her blood to write it on herself. The victim reported that Sweeney was part of a group of people she described as friends of his in “the Com.” In these servers, the victim participated in virtual self-harm group video calls with members of the server in which she would do a variety of degrading things to herself for the members of the server. Some of these things included cutting herself, drinking toilet water, and smearing blood all over herself while on live stream. She did these activities while she was naked and members of the group, including Sweeney, would record videos of her actions. The victim reported being aware of other underage females that Sweeney had victimized and of whom he possessed “collections” of nudes and blackmail material. The victim further reported that Sweeney occasionally shared his screen with her and showed her these “collections,” including files with folders that were identified by the username of the alleged underage female victim. This victim later died of an overdose. Another witness confirmed that Sweeney had live streamed a sexual assault of the victim online.
NVEs, both individually and as a network, systematically and methodically target vulnerable populations, which often include minors, across the United States and the globe, frequently using social media communication platforms. NVEs frequently conduct coordinated extortions of individuals by blackmailing them so they comply with the demands of the network. These demands vary and include, but are not limited to, self-mutilation, online and in-person sexual acts, harm to animals, sexual exploitation of siblings and others, acts of violence, threats of violence, suicide, and murder.
NVEs networks have adopted various monikers to identify themselves. The networks have changed names over time, which has led to the creation of related networks. Although the networks change names and use a variety of different social media platforms, the core members and goals remain consistent and align with the overarching threat of NVE.
“764” and related groups (“764”) are NVEs who engage in criminal conduct within the United States and engage with other extremists abroad. The 764 network’s accelerationist goals include social unrest and the downfall of the current world order, including the United States Government. Members of 764 work in concert with one another towards a common purpose of destroying civilized society through the corruption and exploitation of vulnerable populations, including minors.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katy Risinger and Zachary T. Hinkle are prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance from the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
An indictment is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Contact
Mark H. Wildasin
Public Affairs Officer
Mark.Wildasin@usdoj.gov
(615) 736-2079