“No child should ever be terrorized or exploited online, and no online platform should give refuge to predators,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “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.”
“These five defendants allegedly targeted vulnerable children and others via online platforms – they exploited, threatened, and harassed them, and encouraged horrific acts of self-harm,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The FBI is sending a message to those individuals involved in criminal activity through violent online networks: you can’t hide in the shadows hovering over a keyboard – we will find and hold accountable those who participate in these illegal and heinous acts.”
“These defendants are charged with the unspeakable act of coercing and blackmailing children and adults to engage in self-harm and other degrading acts,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “As demonstrated by today’s indictment, the Criminal Division will not stand for such heinous crimes, and we will work tirelessly to bring these offenders to justice.”
“As alleged, the defendants weaponized their sexual exploitation of minors through the creation and distribution of child pornography, creating a nightmarish platform on the internet where children were used, sexually abused, and at times driven to the brink of suicide,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York. “The defendants’ depraved conduct, as alleged, is monstrous and will be vigorously prosecuted. I strongly urge parents and caregivers to have conversations with their children about the dangers of communicating online with strangers and individuals who seek to cruelly exploit them.”
As alleged in the indictment, between January 2020 and January 2021, the defendants participated in the production and distribution of child sex abuse material and also engaged in other forms of exploitation and harassment of both minor and adult victims. The defendants and other members of the Greggy’s Cult convened on the 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. The defendants and other members of Greggy’s Cult captured images (i.e. “screenshots” or “screen recordings”) of the sexually explicit conduct and shared it to other Discord servers and amongst themselves. Greggy’s Cult came into existence before another sadistic extortion network, 764, and prominent members of 764 and other similar networks that followed were also members of Greggy’s Cult. The defendants coerced, induced, or enticed their victims to engage in acts of degradation such as self-harm, or professing the victim is “owned” by a member of “Greggy’s Cult” to demonstrate loyalty, or writing the names of “Greggy’s Cult” members on their bodies referred to as “fansigning.” The group found victims in Discord servers or on gaming platforms such as Roblox and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
Greggy’s Cult engaged in depraved conduct such as repeatedly encouraging victims to kill themselves or encouraging them to insert household objects into their genitals or anus. The group also engaged in coordinated extortion of victims, both adults and minors, through various means including by attempting to frame adult victims as pedophiles or by sending malware to minor victims’ computers. The group then used this leverage to get the victims to engage in degrading acts on camera. Bermudez resided in the Eastern District of New York during the charged offenses.
If you believe you have been victimized by or have information about the defendants, please contact the FBI tip line: 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).
Trial Attorney Gwendelynn Bills of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Antoinette N. Rangel for the Eastern District of New York are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
