According to law enforcement papers, court records, and informants, the FBI has been able to identify a pedophilic, Satanist extortion cult that has abused several youngsters after a gun possession arrest in Queens, New York, in November 2021.
While looking into concerning social media posts made by Angel Almeida, a 23-year-old Astoria, Queens resident, law authorities learned about the group, also known as “764”.
The gang is reportedly “deliberately targeting minor victims on publicly accessible messaging platforms to extort them into recording or livestreaming acts of self-harm and producing child sexual abuse material,” according to a public warning the FBI issued about “764” on September 12, 2023.
According to the notice, the group appears to target young people between the ages of eight and 17, and it concentrates especially on those of color, LGBTQ+ adolescents, and kids who have mental health problems. Researchers that have studied “764” have discovered that its members maintain relationships with children on a variety of social media sites, including SoundCloud playlists, Discord, and Twitch as well as very popular video games like Roblox. The primary vehicle for communication for the organization is Telegram, which has long been a favorite among many far-right radicals.
The police warn that members “use threats, blackmail, and manipulation” to coerce young people into filming recordings of self-harm, animal brutality, sexual misconduct, and even suicide. Members then share the video in order to further control and extort the victims. Members of the organization upload graphic “gore” movies showing acts of torture, murder, and other extreme violence to the group’s channels in an effort to desensitize viewers to such actions.
The group is allegedly a branch of the Order of Nine Angles (O9A), a violent, subversive organization that has links to murders and attempted terrorist attacks in the US, Britain, Germany, Canada, and Russia and is associated with esoteric Hitler worship, Satanism, and Wiccan beliefs.
According to court records, when investigators searched Almeida’s house, they reportedly discovered literature on O9A and Satanism as well as hundreds of files on four separate devices containing child sex assault material.
Almeida, who had previously served 18 months in a Florida prison for burglary-related offenses, laughed off the severe accusations made against him at a recent court hearing in Brooklyn.
Almeida was determined to be competent to stand trial earlier this month after a protracted examination procedure. On Dec. 4, the trial is scheduled to start. He may receive a life sentence if found guilty.
