On Friday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced charges against five men from different parts of the United States, accusing them of operating an online child exploitation network known as “Greggy’s Cult.” This group allegedly used Discord servers to terrorize, blackmail, and coerce minors into committing “horrific acts of self-harm.”
The federal indictment, which was unsealed by prosecutors, charges the five men with crimes including “conspiracy to produce child pornography, conspiracy to receive and distribute child pornography, and conspiracy to communicate interstate threats.”
The individuals arrested include Hector Bermudez, 29, from Queens, New York; Zachary Dosch, 26, from Albuquerque, New Mexico; Rumaldo Valdez, 22, from Honolulu, Hawaii; David Brilhante, 28, from San Diego, California; and Camden Rodriguez, 22, from Longmont, Colorado. They were taken into custody on Tuesday and will face arraignment in the Eastern District of New York at a future date, according to the DOJ.
Prosecutors have described the online platform used by “Greggy’s Cult” as a “nightmarish environment,” where the group allegedly engaged in “depraved conduct.” This included “repeatedly encouraging victims to commit suicide or to insert household objects into their bodies.”
FBI Director Kash Patel commented on the case, stating that the leaders of “Greggy’s Cult” “exploited, threatened, and harassed” children through the internet.
“These five defendants allegedly targeted vulnerable children and others via online platforms,” Patel said in a statement. “They exploited, threatened, and harassed them, encouraging horrific acts of self-harm. The FBI is making it clear to those involved in criminal activities through violent online networks: you cannot hide behind a keyboard. We will find you and hold you accountable for participating in these illegal and heinous acts.”
The indictment stated that the defendants allegedly engaged in the “production and distribution of child sex abuse material” between January 2020 and January 2021, and also participated in other forms of “exploitation and harassment” of both minors and adults.
According to prosecutors, the defendants and other members of “Greggy’s Cult” met on Discord servers and “directed minor victims, who had joined a video call on either Discord or another video conferencing platform, to engage in sexually explicit or other degrading conduct.”
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi (L) and FBI director Kash Patel announced Dec. 2 that five men have been charged with leading a “child exploitation enterprise.” (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
The group is also accused of finding victims on gaming platforms such as Roblox and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
The cult members allegedly captured screenshots and screen recordings of the “sexually explicit conduct” before sharing it to other Discord servers and with each other, according to the DOJ.
Attorney General Pam Bondi reacted to the indictment, stating that “no child should ever be terrorized or exploited online, and no online platform should give refuge to predators.”
Prosecutors said the leaders of “Greggy’s Cult” met on Discord servers and directed minors to “engage in sexually explicit or other degrading conduct.” (Tiffany Hagler-Geard/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“The Department of Justice will continue to protect children, support survivors, and hold accountable anyone who preys on the vulnerable – online or offline – with every tool we have,” Bondi added.
Prosecutors also accused the defendants of extorting their targets, alleging that they tried to frame the adult victims as pedophiles or send malware to minor victims, which was then used as “leverage to get the victims to engage in degrading acts on camera.”
The defendants were allegedly able to convince victims to commit acts of “degradation,” including having them be “owned” by a member of the cult to demonstrate loyalty, or writing the names of cult members on their bodies, which prosecutors referred to as “fansigning.”
FBI director Kash Patel said the bureau will hold accountable anyone who is involved in violent online networks. (Getty Images)
Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Galeotti of the DOJ’s Criminal Division said in a statement that the defendants were charged with an “unspeakable act of coercing and blackmailing children and adults to engage in self-harm and other degrading acts.”
U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York called the alleged conduct “monstrous,” adding that children were “at times driven to the brink of suicide.”
The Department of Justice stated that five men allegedly captured screenshots and screen recordings of the “sexually explicit conduct” before sharing it to other Discord servers and with each other. (FOX 2 Detroit)
The DOJ stated that “Greggy’s Cult” formed before the emergence of the “764” network, another online child-exploitation group that the FBI has launched an intensified effort to take down.
Members of “764” allegedly use popular online platforms such as Discord, Telegram and Roblox to recruit and manipulate minors.
