Brooklyn prosecutors say on-line cult used gaming platforms to focus on and exploit kids

Members of an internet group generally known as “Greggy’s Cult” traded baby pornography and sexually exploited kids after assembly them on web gaming platforms, federal prosecutors in Brooklyn charged Tuesday.

The group focused minors from 2020 to 2021 in quite a lot of servers on Discord, an internet communication platform well-liked with video players, based on the indictment in opposition to them. The 5 accused males, together with a 29-year-old from Queens, discovered their victims on Discord servers and different gaming platforms, together with “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive,” based on the costs filed Tuesday.

They are every charged with taking part in a toddler exploitation enterprise, based on the indictment. The group shaped previous to the founding of one other, comparable extortion community generally known as 764. Prominent members of 764 have been additionally first members of Greggy’s Cult, based on prosecutors.

As a part of the crime, members of Greggy’s Cult directed kids to do sexual issues in video group chats on Discord and different platforms, based on the indictment. They then captured screenshots of the acts and shared it amongst themselves, based on the indictment. The youngest sufferer was 11 years outdated, based on federal prosecutors.

In addition to the sexual exploitation, they directed a few of their victims to put in writing the names of group members on their our bodies and informed them to profess to being “owned” by a member of the cult, based on the court docket paperwork filed by prosecutors.

In one occasion, members of the group inspired a sufferer to kill themselves by overdosing on remedy or by hanging themself from a ceiling fan, the paperwork state.

“The defendants’ conduct, as alleged, is monstrous and will be vigorously prosecuted,” Joseph Nocella Jr., U.S lawyer for the Eastern District of New York, mentioned in an announcement. “I strongly urge parents and caregivers to speak to their children about the dangers of communicating with strangers on social media and how to seek help from adults and law enforcement in these situations.”

The defendants are residents of states throughout the nation, together with 29-year-old Hector Bermudez from Queens. He’s scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday night, and lawyer info for him was not instantly out there.