Predator Network “764” Targets Kids Online

A predatory online network is exploiting kids through mainstream apps—and federal investigators say the danger is wider than most parents realize.

Story Highlights

Federal investigators have examined more than 350 subjects tied to the “764” online network, described as a loosely organized web of predators.
A Downey, California man, Dong Hwan Kim, was arrested in 2024 amid allegations he coerced minors into producing child sexual abuse material and violent self-harm content.
Authorities and court filings describe tactics centered on grooming, sextortion, threats, and escalating demands—often targeting vulnerable minors on gaming and chat platforms.
DOJ cases in 2025 linked the network to RICO-style prosecution strategies, including charges tied to animal crushing and child exploitation.

California Arrest Spotlights a National Child-Safety Problem

Dong Hwan Kim, a 27-year-old from Downey in Los Angeles County, became a California face of a much larger investigation when authorities arrested him in August 2024 on child pornography-related charges tied to the “764” network. Reporting described allegations that he coerced minors—primarily girls—into producing explicit material and then used threats of exposure to force more content. Investigators also described extreme coercion demands and a server allegedly used to share abusive material.

The evidence described in reports points to a familiar pattern: predators gain trust online, pressure a child into sending images, then convert that vulnerability into leverage. That model is especially dangerous because it turns ordinary phones, bedrooms, and gaming headsets into access points for criminals. For parents, the practical takeaway is not partisan—it is painfully basic: kids are being hunted where they socialize, and the coercion can escalate quickly once blackmail begins.

What “764” Is—and Why “Cult” Claims Need Careful Language

Law enforcement and related reporting describe 764 as a decentralized, international sextortion and exploitation network that emerged around 2021 and operates across platforms including Discord, Telegram, Roblox, and Minecraft. Victims are often minors, and descriptions emphasize grooming, extortion, and coercion into self-harm, sexual exploitation, and other violence. Some headlines describe it as a “cult,” but the “wants to destroy the world” framing is not clearly supported by the available sourcing, which focuses more on nihilistic sadism than apocalyptic goals.

That distinction matters because exaggeration can blur what is already clear and documented: children are targeted, manipulated, and threatened into producing material that can be traded and monetized. A decentralized structure also means there may not be a single “leader” to arrest and call it over. It functions more like a swarm of criminals and copycats than a traditional organization, making it harder for parents to spot and for prosecutors to fully dismantle.

DOJ’s RICO Approach Signals a Shift Toward Treating It Like Organized Crime

Federal prosecutions in 2025 show the Justice Department treating parts of the 764 ecosystem as organized criminal activity, including a case announcing a guilty plea by a leader tied to RICO and child exploitation charges. Another DOJ announcement described charges against a network member involving animal crushing and sexual exploitation of a minor. Those filings underline that this is not just “bad content” online; prosecutors are describing coordinated methods, escalation manuals, and the kind of structure that RICO was designed to address.

Why Conservatives See a Core Government Duty Here: Protect Kids, Stop Enablers

FBI statements and related reporting emphasize how these networks hunt vulnerable children and use coercion to push more extreme acts over time. That reality collides with years of elite talking points that treated online safety as secondary to platform growth, “community” features, and lax enforcement. A limited-government voter can still demand competent law enforcement against predators—because protecting children from criminal exploitation is a core function of the state, not a “woke” culture project or a speech-policing scheme.

Accused pedophile's chilling links to '764' cult that wants to destroy the world by targeting CA children https://t.co/9b0afl9okF pic.twitter.com/osPvM7euof

— New York Post (@nypost) February 21, 2026

The key policy and parenting challenge is precision: go after the criminals and the facilitation, without turning child protection into a pretext for broad censorship or surveillance of ordinary Americans. The research available here supports strong prosecution, international coordination where needed, and clearer accountability for platforms that enable grooming patterns to persist. It does not, on its own, map out which legislative fixes work best—only that the threat is real, ongoing, and hard to eradicate.