NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Columbia, Tennessee man is facing federal child sexual exploitation charges after an FBI investigation tied him to a violent extremist network known as "764."
Zachary Sweeney, 30, was indicted on multiple counts Thursday in Nashville. Court documents show he has a long history of exploiting minors and connections to Nihilistic Violent Extremist, or NVE, groups.
"Violent extremists who victimize vulnerable children online are among the worst predators in our community and across the country," United States Attorney Braden H. Boucek said. "Our office and our law enforcement partners will do whatever it takes to stop these predators from harming more children and hold them accountable for the damage they have already caused."
According to court documents, Sweeney groomed and coerced minors into producing child sexual abuse material between at least 2022 and 2025. He allegedly distributed and sold that material, and traveled to meet victims in person, where he is accused of drugging, raping, and filming them.
One victim reported she first encountered Sweeney when she was 16 or 17. She told investigators he pressured her into sending sexual images and videos, and directed her to physically harm herself as part of his demands. She also participated in online group calls where she and others performed degrading acts while being recorded. That victim later died of an overdose. A separate witness told investigators Sweeney had live streamed a sexual assault of her.
"This operation puts every child predator on notice: the FBI will hunt you down and bring you to justice," Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly of the FBI Nashville Field Office said. "Removing violent extremists from our streets protects our most innocent and vulnerable members of society."
The 764 network targets vulnerable people, especially minors, through social media. Its members work toward collapsing society through exploitation, coercion, and violence. NVE groups like 764 have changed names over time but their core tactics and goals have stayed the same.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katy Risinger and Zachary T. Hinkle are prosecuting it, with assistance from the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department's National Security Division.
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