TUCSON, Ariz. — A Tucson man was arrested Wednesday for producing child sexual abuse materials and cyberstalking as part of his participation in online terror networks, according to the FBI and Department of Justice.
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Baron Martin, 20, of Tucson, was arrested for crimes investigators say he committed as part of his participation in networks known as 764 and CVLT.
“764 remains a dangerous network of violent extremists who systematically target children and weaponize child sexual abuse material for the purpose of furthering an accelerationist agenda, destroying civilized society, and causing the collapse of the U.S. Government,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security Matthew G. Olsen.
According to court documents, 764 is a network of violent extremists operating in the U.S. and abroad.
Prosecutors say members produce and share "extreme gore media" and child sexual abuse material. This is part of an effort to desensitize young people to violence and normalize the possession of child pornography and violent media.
“The details in this case are simply horrific as the defendant allegedly coerced children to harm themselves multiple times,” said Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells of the FBI’s National Security Branch.
Members of the group target underage females and extort or groom them to create videos or photographs of them mutilating themselves, prosecutors say.
The network has shifted names and sparked the creation offshoot networks.
Since approximately 2021, "Convict" has participated in chatrooms related to the online terror networks 764 and CVLT. According to the complaint, Martin allegedly admitted to using the moniker “Convict” on social media platforms and, on multiple occasions, claimed online to be an owner of 764 and CVLT, teaching 764 members how to extort victims, describing himself as the “king of extortion,” and boasting he was “the catalyst for thousands of extortions” in 764.
Martin is also accused of creating and posting on a social media platforms a detailed guide on how to identify, groom, and extort vulnerable juveniles.
Martin is accused of producing child sex abuse material on Discord, in September 2022, by making two separate minors self-mutilate for him. On one occasion, Martin had a 13-year-old child cut his name “in every possible place” she could including her chest, stomach, and thighs, and threatened to “leak” pictures of her if she did not comply.
On other occasions, Martin directed this same minor child to cut certain designs into her body including swastikas and satanic symbols.
Martin also allegedly directed a 16-year-old on Discord to scratch herself with her nails, ordering her to "draw blood,” saying “I want it dripping.” He then told her to pour rubbing alcohol over the wounds. Martin later sent three videos of the abuse to another Discord user. In the videos, the minor is scratching her forearm with her nails and pouring rubbing alcohol onto the scratches before curling up in apparent pain with a rag in her mouth.
Martin is also accused of cyberstalking a different 13-year-old for threats he sent over Discord in September 2022. Martin told this minor victim he put a “hit” on her grandmother and he solicited individuals to kill the victim’s grandmother. Martin agreed to pay one person $3,000 to kidnap and murder the victim’s grandmother, whose address he provided. The complaint alleges that in a separate server chat, Martin posted the phone numbers of both the minor and her grandmother and told the network to contact both numbers to harass them.
If convicted, Martin faces up to 30 years in prison for producing child sexual abuse material and a penalty of up to 10 years in prison for cyberstalking when the victim is a minor and no bodily injury resulted from the conduct.
The FBI is investigating the case.
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