A federal grand jury has indicted a Columbia, Tennessee man following a years-long investigation into alleged child sexual exploitation offenses linked to online extremist networks, according to the Department of Justice and federal court records.
Prosecutors allege that 30-year-old Zachary Sweeney engaged in a pattern of criminal conduct between 2022 and 2025 that involved using online platforms to target minors, solicit sexually explicit material, and exert control over victims through intimidation, coercion, and manipulation. The indictment outlines a broad scheme that investigators say relied on digital communications and online communities to identify and exploit vulnerable victims. Federal authorities allege Sweeney used threats and psychological pressure to maintain influence over those he targeted. According to court filings and investigative documents, the case also includes allegations that some victims were subjected to in-person encounters that were recorded. Federal investigators say the investigation uncovered alleged ties to nihilistic violent extremist (NVE) networks, including online communities associated with a collective known as “764.”
Authorities describe these groups as decentralized online networks that operate across social media and encrypted messaging platforms
often using coercion, intimidation, extortion, and psychological manipulation to exploit vulnerable individuals, particularly minors. Investigators allege that multiple minors were groomed through online communications and pressured into producing child sexual abuse material. Federal authorities further claim that some victims were subjected to degrading treatment and coercive online interactions designed to maintain control over them, reports said. The allegations form part of a broader federal effort to investigate online exploitation networks that authorities say use digital platforms to target, manipulate, and abuse minors. In a post on X, FBI Director Kash Patel said that NVE and 764-linked exploitation “continues to be one of the most important issues this FBI confronts every day,” citing major enforcement increases and account takedowns. Parel further urged parents to monitor their children’s online activity and report suspicious behavior to the FBI. U. S. Attorney Braden H. Boucek said the case reflects the severity of federal enforcement efforts targeting such conduct. “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,” he said. Earlier this year after leaving his post as FBI deputy director, Dan Bongino returned to his popular podcast and warned parents about the 764 network. “I want you to pay very close attention to these three numbers,” Bongino said as a graphic on the screen said, “A Deadly Serious Warning To All Parents” that was flanked by flashing emergency light emojis. “764. There is a network of people out there…this is what they call the 764 group inside the FBI…and folks, if you haven’t heard about them, look them up,” he continued. Bongino went on to note that while the information about the group is vital because members target kids, it’s equally important to understand that “it involves another critical issue, which is surveillance and civil liberties. They’re interconnected on this.”
“This group is disgusting. It is horrifying the stuff they do,” he warned before going on to describe a briefing he was given during his time with the bureau detailing many of the images and videos members of the group send to kids in chat rooms, including self-mutilation and sexual abuses. “I promise I’m not gonna describe” what he saw “because you’ll throw up,” Bongino added. “What this network does is they hunt down and find your kids in these chat rooms for these online games and chat rooms and elsewhere. Folks, you have to monitor this stuff. It is not a small network,” he continued.
🚨 @dbongino shares a "DEADLY SERIOUS" warning for parents after what he witnessed at FBI:
— Bongino Report (@BonginoReport) February 4, 2026
"Folks, you can't unsee it…" pic.twitter.com/oEwceNwiYQ
Fox News reported in November that federal authorities intensified a nationwide effort to disrupt and dismantle the violent online criminal network, which investigators say coerces children into harmful and exploitative acts, including self-harm and the production of sexual material.
