Four members of a neo-Nazi online group have been charged with federal crimes accusing them of grooming and extorting more than a dozen children to produce pornographic media and violent videos of self-harm. The men hail from various parts of the country, including New Jersey, Hawaii and Texas, as well as one French citizen.
The four men are accused of being part of an international online neo-Nazi group that promoted pedophilia and nihilism, a philosophical belief that life and societal values are meaningless.
Musk mocks Nazi salute accusations with puns. From at least to , Rane, Walker and Merritt were high-ranking members in the group and ran its online servers and controlled its membership. Members would groom their victims, and then degrade them, slowly exposing them to extremist and violent content in order to desensitize and pressure them into complying. The group specifically targeted vulnerable victims, including children who suffered from mental health issues or trauma from previous sexual abuse, officials said.
The abuse would sometimes escalate to members encouraging the victims to kill themselves as part of a live video stream. Church leader sentenced to life in prison for sex abuse of multiple kids. If victims refused or threatened to tell their parents or contact police, the group members would threaten to release sexually graphic photos and videos of the victims to their families and friends. Those threats, the DOJ said, were sometimes carried through by members.
If convicted as charged, all four men would face a minimum year sentence with the possibility of life in prison. Rane, the French citizen, previously was charged with several child exploitation and related offenses and has been in custody in his home country since Merritt was previously convicted for child sex abuse crimes and is serving a year sentence in a Virginia state prison. For information about reporting online child sexual exploitation and abuse, click here.
