Laura Esposito | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS)
PITTSBURGH — The FBI is asking parents and caregivers to be on the watch amid a “disturbing” rise in online groups extorting children into performing acts of self harm and taking their own lives on camera.
The predators are meeting juveniles through video games and online chat rooms. They use threats and manipulation to coerce victims into live-streaming violence against themselves, animals, and their families, with the ultimate goal of having the victim commit suicide.
“The (group’s) goal is pure chaos and the death of a person,” Christopher M. Giordano, the assistant agent in charge at the Pittsburgh office, said at a news conference Friday.
The predators are victimizing minors across the country, including in the Pittsburgh area. Agents said they are investigating several cases in the region, but none that has resulted in a death. They declined to release additional details.
After a decline during the pandemic, reports of child abuse and neglect in Pennsylvania are on the rise again — though not reaching pre-pandemic levels yet.
Agents first warned the public about the harmful groups in November, and since then, they said they had seen a rise in cases.
“These groups don’t care how many dead bodies they leave in their wake,” Special Agent Giordano said.
Assistant special agent in charge Chris Giordano speaks about cyber predators and child sextortion case concerns during a news conference at the FBI facility on the South Side on March 22, 2024, in Pittsburgh. Giordano urged parents to keep an eye on their children’s activities on social media and online gaming. (Sebastian Foltz/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS)
Coercing minors into committing the such acts is how predators elevate their status within the group, Special Agent Giordano said, calling the trend the most horrific thing he’s seen during his more than 20-year career.
Special Agent Giordano asked parents, school administrators and other concerned adults to familiarize themselves with several warnings that their children are being targeted, such as signs of self-harm, suicide ideations, or a newfound fascination with cults. They also cautioned parents to monitor children’s online activity and the applications they use.
“It is happening here,” Special Agent Giordano said. “Recognize these signs or we will lose these kids.”
While many of the predators are overseas, agents said in November that they had identified suspects in the Pittsburgh area and hoped that identifying more victims would move the investigation forward.
It’s estimated that “tens of thousands” of people are members of these groups, but few have been arrested, agents said.
Last month, a 47-year-old man in Michigan was arrested and faces numerous sexual exploitation charges after it was discovered he was affiliated with a group known as 764.
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Under the username “Rabid,” Richard Anthony Reyna Densmore was involved in creating a chat room on Discord to stream minors engaging in self harm and “fansigning,” in which victims cut the predator’s online username into their skin, according to the United States Attorney’s Office.
“As the allegations in this case demonstrate, the online threats to our children and teenagers evolve and grow every day,” Mark Totten, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Michigan, said in February.
“Perpetrators can reach kids anywhere, anytime, with devastating effects on our families and communities.”
According to the Global Network of Extremism & Technology, 764 recruits victimizers from online communities “interested in obscene material and celebrating mass shooters, terrorists, and violent extremists.”
Then, they identify likely victims in online communities where “vulnerable individuals may be found,” such as in spaces used by members of the LGBTQ+ community, minorities, and those with mental illness.
Minors are prominent members of these groups, agents said, falling in line with an increase in juvenile violence and extreme behavior they’re seeing across the country.
“It’s rare (for the FBI) to charge someone as an adult because there are no mechanisms in place,” Special Agent Giordano said. “That’s why it’s important to work with state and local authorities.”
If a child exhibits any troubling behavior, parents, school administrators and others should report it to local police and follow up with the FBI, agents said.
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