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17-year-old girl in Vernon Connecticut arrested for involvement in 764 online child exploitation network leading to swatting and bomb threats at local schools

Nov 1, 2023Vernon, United States1 source

Summary

A teenage girl in Vernon, Connecticut, was part of an online child exploitation network known as “764” and was involved in swatting and bomb threats at local schools in late 2023 and early 2024. The girl, then 17 years old, was arrested and charged with conspiracy. Police obtained photos from her phone showing disturbing content, including a naked Barbie doll with “764” written on its head. The network encourages self-mutilation, suicide, animal cruelty, and the sharing of violent or pornographic material to gain status. The case linked to international connections in Eastern Europe and the United Kingdom. In April 2024, two alleged leaders of the group, Leonidas Varagiannis and Prasan Nepal, were arrested and charged with operating the international child exploitation enterprise.

Incident Details

Domain
Child Safety

Harms involving the exploitation, abuse, or endangerment of minors, including CSAM and grooming.

Harm Types
CSAM

Child sexual abuse material — the creation, distribution, or possession of such content.

Dangerous Challenge
Grooming

Online contact by adults seeking to build trust with minors for exploitation.

Mechanism
contact
Severity
Minor involved
Recipient
Groupvulnerable children and teenagers targeted by the online child exploitation network '764' through social media and gaming platforms
Dimensions
psychologicalautonomydiscriminatory

Sources

1

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