A man from Johnson City, Tennessee, is facing federal charges related to child exploitation. Authorities allege that he was part of a “nihilistic violent extremist” group and used the online platform Roblox to exploit a 13-year-old girl. He allegedly coerced her into sending images and videos of self-harm and sexually explicit acts.

Cayden Newberry has been charged with several serious offenses: enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity for visual documentation, using interstate facilities to entice a minor into sexual activity, and receiving child sexual abuse content through interstate means. If convicted, he faces mandatory minimum prison sentences of 15 years for the first charge, 10 years for the second, and 5 years for the third.

The investigation, which led to these charges, began in New Jersey in mid-September after the victim’s parent reported suspicious activities to local law enforcement.

The criminal complaint, filed on November 19, claims that Newberry, 19, was connected to the “764 group.” FBI agent Gretchen Roberts described this group as a “decentralized network of nihilistic violent extremists” with the aim of undermining civilized societies. Their tactics reportedly include exploiting vulnerable groups, particularly minors.

According to Roberts, the 764 group typically targets young people aged 10 to 17, often initiating contact by forming seemingly trusting or romantic relationships. Subsequently, they manipulate and coerce these individuals into harmful behaviors intended to shame or alienate them from others.

It says that if victims are successfully coerced into creating child sex abuse material (CSAM) of themselves, or images depicting animal cruelty or self-harm, 764 members often threaten to share the content with family or friends, or post it publicly, if victims don’t continue cooperating. Other methods to gain compliance include swatting (fake 911 calls to the person’s residence designed to bring armed officers there), and doxxing — obtaining and publishing personally identifiable information on the internet.

“Extremists control their victims through building immense fear, and many have the end-goal of forcing victims into live-streaming their own self-harm, or suicide, for the network’s entertainment or threat actor’s own sense of fame,” Roberts wrote.

From Roblox to a phone sent via DoorDash

Roberts’s complaint alleges that the victim described to local prosecutors in New Jersey what happened over a period after she met Newberry through Roblox, starting in the summer of 2025. She described carving Newberry’s name into her leg with a sharp object while recording, something known as “fansigning.” The complaint alleges that other adults joined the chat on which this was occurring and that she also fansigned other names on her body.

The complaint says the alleged victim and Newberry eventually began communicating through a phone he had sent to her address, using several apps, including Telegram, Discord and Instagram. It claims the alleged victim tried at one point to block Newberry, and that he threatened to extort her unless she committed additional acts on camera.

The complaint describes the alleged victim as eventually learning about the 764 group and its methods, including how would-be members gain admission by possessing and sharing content like that provided by her.

An appointed attorney for Newberry argued in a Dec. 1 preliminary hearing that the evidence submitted so far didn’t conclusively tie an IP address allegedly linked to the crimes to Newberry or any of his accounts.

Prosecutors argued that the IP address and other digital information, parts of which were yet to be analyzed, were only needed to supplement the main evidence — the interview with the alleged victim.

Judge Cynthia Wyrick ruled the evidence provided so far was sufficient to show probable cause. No additional hearings have yet been set. Newberry is in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.