A leader of a global online network that coerced children into producing sexual abuse material pleaded guilty Thursday, Oct. 8, in U.S. District Court in Washington.
Prasan Nepal, 21, of High Point, North Carolina, entered his plea to conspiracy to commit sexual exploitation of a child before U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton. He faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and up to 30 years in federal prison.
Nepal operated under the online alias "Trippy" as a senior leader of 764, a network that federal prosecutors describe as a nihilistic violent extremist group. Court documents say the network coordinated efforts to exploit minors, extort victims and inflict psychological harm across the United States and abroad.
"Today's plea is a victory for every child they sought to harm, and a warning to anyone who believes they can hide behind an encrypted screen: we will find you, and we will stop you," U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro said in a statement announcing the plea.
D.C.-area ties
Court documents detail the involvement of co-conspirators operating inside the Washington metropolitan area. One D.C.-based individual allegedly stored network material on digital devices within the District and participated in conduct aimed at coercing minors, according to the filing. The identities of those co-conspirators have not been publicly disclosed.
Federal investigators have identified more than a dozen active co-conspirators associated with Nepal and co-defendant Leonidas Varagiannis, a U.S. citizen residing in Thessaloniki, Greece. Many operated under aliases in encrypted group channels, according to court documents.
How the network operated
Nepal and Varagiannis served as core leaders of 764 and its inner subgroup, 764 Inferno, according to court documents. From approximately 2021 through 2025, they used encrypted platforms to direct members, manage recruitment and oversee the production and circulation of exploitative material.
The network exploited at least eight minors across multiple jurisdictions. Some victims were as young as 13. Members used child sexual abuse material as digital currency within the group, trading it to recruit new members or maintain status.
Court documents describe a guide the network used to instruct members on grooming victims. It advised targeting individuals with depression or mental illness and provided instructions on extortion.
In multiple instances, defendants threatened and caused victims to engage in self-mutilation, sexual acts and violence, according to court documents.
Arrests and broader investigation
Nepal was arrested April 22, 2025, in North Carolina. Varagiannis was arrested April 28, 2025, in Greece, where he is being held at Grevena Prison and is expected to face trial within six months on related charges.
The FBI Washington Field Office led the investigation with assistance from the FBI's New York and Charlotte field offices and international partners. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen Shinskie and Janani Iyengar are prosecuting the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation.
Walton scheduled Nepal's sentencing for March 5, 2027.
