Alleged 764 member faces up to 69 years in prison for string of suspected violent crimes
A 19-year-old California man associated with the nihilistic violent extremist group 764 pleaded not guilty to multiple charges of animal crushing, sexual exploitation of a minor, possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), cyberstalking and interstate extortion in a federal court Tuesday.
Tony Christopher Long of Porterville, Calif., allegedly committed the various criminal acts in late 2024, according to prosecutors. He is in custody, awaiting a detention hearing Thursday, and faces a combined maximum penalty up to 69 years in prison and fines up to $1.25 million.
Long was allegedly a member of 764, an offshoot of The Com, a global collective of loosely associated groups spanning thousands of people, typically between 11 and 25 years old, that commit financially motivated, sexual and violent crimes. He was also known by online monikers “Inactive,” “Inactivee0” and “inactivecx.”
Long is accused of committing multiple crimes during a two-month period, beginning early October 2024 with cyberstalking and attempted extortion of a minor living in Kern County, Calif., just south of his place of residence. Long sexually exploited a minor living in Washington state in November 2024 and possessed material depicting that victim engaging in sexually explicit conduct a month later, according to the indictment filed against Long last week.
Prosecutors also accuse Long of purposely engaging in animal crushing in late November and early December 2024. The judge overseeing Long’s case in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California ordered Long fully shackled for his arraignment Tuesday.
“This defendant allegedly engaged in acts of extreme cruelty by exploiting a child, abusing animals, and threatening violence — his conduct reflects the depravity of ‘764,’” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement. “These networks seek to terrorize and destabilize our communities by preying on the most vulnerable, and the Justice Department will stop at nothing to dismantle this network and bring offenders to justice.”
The Justice Department describes 764 as a network of nihilistic violent extremists 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 and a desire to bring about its collapse via chaos, destruction and social instability.”
The FBI previously said members of 764 and related groups are driven by a range of personal motives, including notoriety, sexual gratification or a sense of belonging.
Two alleged leaders of 764 were arrested and charged for directing and distributing CSAM in April. The two men, Leonidas Varagiannis and Prasan Nepal, are accused of exploiting at least eight minor victims, some as young as 13 years old, and face charges that carry a maximum penalty of life in prison.
You can read the full indictment below.
