A war on children has moved through decades, administrations, technologies, and platforms. It didn’t begin with President Donald Trump, and nobody should pretend one FBI director can wipe out every predator network by Friday afternoon.
Some evils grow dark for years, learning new tools, changing their names, moving across borders, and hunting wherever parents feel least prepared to fight back.
FBI Director Kash Patel has placed child exploitation near the center of the bureau’s work, and the 764 network shows why. The group and its offshoots target children through gaming sites, social media, and online communities, then use trust, threats, shame, and blackmail to push victims into self-harm, sexual exploitation, and violence.
FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Joe Rothrock recently warned parents, guardians, and teachers that 764-style networks operate worldwide, including in North Texas, and share a common target: children and other vulnerable victims.
Rothrock’s warning pulls no punches: predators pose as friends, collect personal information, demand explicit images or videos, and use blackmail to force victims into worse acts. Some members livestream abuse, while others threaten swatting, doxxing, public humiliation, or harm to animals. Rothrock’s letter brings the problem to North Texas.
Violent online networks such as 764 operate around the world, including right here in North Texas. Some are driven by hatred, sexual gratification, or a desire for chaos. Regardless of their motivation, they have a common target: children and other at-risk individuals. These networks use the trust they initially build to manipulate victims into harming themselves or others. They coerce victims into sharing personal information and explicit pictures and videos, which are then used to blackmail their victims into creating more content depicting escalating sexual and violent behavior. Members of these networks sometimes livestream this content. When victims refuse to comply, their pictures and videos are sent to family members or made publicly available online. They might further coerce their victims by swatting, doxxing, or vandalizing their homes.
The FBI is investigating more than 450 subjects who are tied to these violent online networks. We have worked with federal prosecutors who successfully prosecuted these predators and are tirelessly working to investigate others.
Here in North Texas, FBI Dallas is aggressively investigating violent online network members and working with prosecutors to hold these criminals accountable. We are leveraging our expertise in fighting crimes against children and partnering with other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, as well as our international partners, to tackle this growing problem. Last month, we announced a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Austin Jan Sy Yatco of Plano, Texas. He is accused of exploiting minors into creating child pornography of themselves, which he then distributed among a violent online network similar to 764.
The FBI now investigates more than 450 subjects tied to violent online networks, and Rothrock says federal prosecutors have already secured convictions while agents continue hunting others.
Hellbound and Down 