Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen Delivers Remarks on 30-Year Prison Sentence for Member of Terror Network 764

The National Security Division (NSD) is responsible for protecting Americans from terrorism and violent extremist threats. Every day, we work with our partners to investigate, disrupt, and prosecute terrorists and violent extremists who seek to promote violence and violate the law.

I am here representing NSD today because the defendant in this case, Richard Densmore, is a member of a dangerous network of violent extremists known as 764.

This group seeks to do unspeakable harm to children to advance their goals of destroying civilized society, fomenting civil unrest, and ultimately colllapsing the U.S. Government.

764 is an online network of individuals who seek to normalize and weaponize the possession, production, and distribution of child sexual abuse material and other types of graphic and violent material.

In service of their violent ideologies, the 764 network extorts young victims into recording or livestreaming acts of self-harm. The members often share these materials among themselves to further victimize children. The groups control their victims through extreme fear.

Many members have an end-goal of forcing their victims to commit suicide on livestream for the 764 network’s entertainment, or for the perpetrator’s own sense of fame within the 764 network.

It is difficult to even comprehend such shocking and inhumane violence targeted at innocent and vulnerable children. But we cannot look away. The FBI has previously warned the public about 764 and other violent online groups, who deliberately target children on publicly available platforms, including popular messaging, gaming, and social media platforms. These groups often target young people struggling with mental health issues.

As alleged, the defendant in this case, Richard Densmore, ran chat rooms and Discord servers that facilitated the exchange of child sexual abuse material, helping to create forums where other online predators could find children. His actions targeted and exploited minor victims. He forced children to cut themselves and to produce graphic material.

Now, he is being held accountable for his crimes. 

Today’s sentence of 30 years in prison underscores the Department of Justice’s commitment to stopping acts of terrorism and disrupting the online groups who engage in this abhorrent behavior. And they show our resolve to bring every available tool to bear in countering these threats.

I want to thank U.S. Attorney Mark Totten and his team in the Western District of Michigan, as well as NSD’s Counterterrorism Section.  I would also like to thank the FBI Field Office and Domestic Terrorism Operations Section for their hard work in disrupting this dangerous online network.