A federal judge appointed during the Trump administration on Tuesday denied a legal appeal from Bradley Cadenhead, the founder of the online extremist network known as “764,” upholding his 80-year prison sentence in Texas, according to court records and reporting by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Cadenhead, now 20, had challenged his May 2023 sentencing on child pornography and related charges, arguing that his trial counsel was ineffective and that mitigating factors from his upbringing were not adequately considered. U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman rejected the appeal, stating it largely reiterated arguments already dismissed in a previous state-level appeal.
In his appeals, Cadenhead argued that his trial lawyer provided “ineffective” assistance by persuading him to plead guilty without considering the option for a psychological assessment, the outlet reported.
The group behind Cadenhead’s accusations, known in law enforcement and academic reports as a nihilistic, violent extremist online network, has been linked to the grooming of minors and distribution of child exploitation material, according to federal authorities.
Cadenhead created the group as a teenager on the chat platform Discord, naming it after numbers from his Texas ZIP code. He pleaded guilty to multiple counts of possession of child pornography in 2023 after federal and state investigations and was sentenced to serve 80 years in prison.
In court filings, Cadenhead’s lawyers argued that his troubled background, including experiences with bullying and exposure to violent content during adolescence, should have influenced his sentencing. However, prosecutors and the judge determined the severity of his offenses warranted the lengthy term and upheld the original judgment.
The case remains part of broader federal efforts to counter online extremist networks and prosecute individuals who exploit social platforms to facilitate criminal conduct.
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At the age of 15, the child abuser established a group called 764 on the chat platform Discord, taking inspiration from the digits of his Texas zip code, according to court documents. The FBI categorizes 764, along with similar groups, as “nihilistic” extremist movements fueled by a deep-seated hatred for humanity and a yearning for societal breakdown. Members of alleged 764 have faced accusations or been convicted of distributing child pornography and persuading minors to engage in degrading acts, such as harming pets, carving abusers’ names into their skin, or even recording their own suicides.
Before he launched 764, Cadenhead once called his father in tears after a friend persuaded him to watch a video featuring a man being brutally beaten and stabbed in the face with a screwdriver, as he recounted to a psychologist. Initially, he thought the video “couldn’t be that terrible,” so he watched it again. Eventually, he accepted an invitation to join a chat room filled with even more graphic content, setting the groundwork for him to start extorting other kids, as detailed by the doctor.
In a document dated May 2023, Republican Erath County District Attorney M. Alan Nash cautioned the state against granting parole, highlighting the disturbing materials discovered in the boy’s possession.
The content showed his “interest in, fascination with, and proclivity for” violence, including “INFANT murder and sexual assault,” “CHILD mutilation, torture, and death” and “human self-mutilation,” Nash said.
“THIS DEFENDANT IS DANGEROUS,” the DA warned.
Former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino warned parents about the sadistic group on his radio show earlier this month.
“I want you to pay very close attention to these three numbers,” Bongino said in a video clip of his Wednesday show, as a graphic on the screen said, “A Deadly Serious Warning To All Parents” that was flanked by flashing emergency light emojis.
“764. There is a network of people out there…this is what they call the 764 group inside the FBI…and folks, if you haven’t heard about them, look them up,” he continued.
“This group is disgusting. It is horrifying the stuff they do,” he warned before going on to describe a briefing he was given during his time with the bureau.
