A federal judge in Tennessee on Wednesday sentenced a follower of violent online extremist groups to 77 years in prison after he coerced 30 young people to send him nude images, abuse animals or engage in self-mutilation, prosecutors said.
The man, Kyle William Spitze, 27, operated under the groups known as Harm Nation and 764, prosecutors said. The three digits originate from the ZIP code of the group’s founder living in Texas, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
The groups are online networks that the U.S. Department of Justice has described as part of nihilistic violent extremism, a movement sowing chaos to usher society’s downfall.
They achieve their aims, in part, by glorifying mass murder and urging victims to engage in self-harm, the authorities said.
Mr. Spitze received the “longest federal sentence ever imposed on a nihilistic violent extremist,” John A. Eisenberg, the assistant attorney general for national security for the Justice Department, said in a statement.
The sentence “sends a strong message that civil society will not tolerate such depravity,” he added.
Jonathan Cooper, a lawyer for Mr. Spitze, said in an email on Saturday that his client was a member of these groups because it was the only place where he could find validation and support he could not get from his parents.
Mr. Spitze, of Friendsville, Tenn., was not a part of these organizations because of their ideologies or dark principles, Mr. Cooper said.
He objected to “every single” accusation filed by the government, according to court papers filed by Mr. Cooper.
“The government portrayed Kyle as a demon, and many will call him a monster,” Mr. Cooper said. “However, it is the unfortunate truth that this young man is a product of his environment and our society.”
Mr. Spitze was part of online networks that relied on threats, blackmail and manipulation to get victims to produce or livestream self-harm and graphic content, prosecutors said.
The authorities identified at least 30 victims from around the world. One was 12 years old, according to court records.
Two victims, whose ages were not made public, died by suicide, the authorities said. One victim fled her country and changed her name to heal and feel safe, prosecutors said.
“The defendant’s criminal acts are a new breed of violence, so powerful the only tools the defendant needed were his phone and the internet,” prosecutors said in court documents. “During interviews with the F.B.I., the defendant’s victims outlined how the defendant was able to permanently scar victims across the world, physically and mentally, without ever having to lay a hand on them in person.”
The case began in December 2023, when the F.B.I. looked into tips that Harm Nation members had child sexual abuse imagery.
Discord, an online messaging platform, provided investigators with a report flagging members partaking in “high-harm activities,” prosecutors said.
Mr. Spitze was among those flagged.
Investigators found he had pictures of young girls who cut themselves. The girls had written “Crim” or “Criminal” on their bodies with their own blood, which was a moniker Mr. Spitze used, prosecutors said.
Investigators searched Mr. Spitze’s cellphone after obtaining a search warrant in February 2024. They found similar images and videos, prosecutors said.
“The forensic examination of the defendant’s phone revealed the defendant had no legitimate employment, and spent countless hours finding, grooming and threatening victims,” prosecutors said.
One victim, a 12-year-old girl, began a casual and friendly conversation online with Mr. Spitze, prosecutors said.
Within three days, Mr. Spitze asked the girl to take nude photos of herself and sent her a graphic video. The girl also sent Mr. Spitze graphic footage of herself, prosecutors said.
Mr. Spitze threatened to release those images if the victim did not meet his demands. She was also forced to kill a chicken and spell “crim” with its intestines, prosecutors said.
“Like a spider spinning a web, the defendant waited patiently, grooming his victims until he had them trapped,” prosecutors said. “The defendant then flooded his victim’s world with nonstop texting, direct messaging, video calls and demands for graphic content.”
Mr. Spitze pleaded guilty to two counts of producing child sexual exploitation material, one count of abetting the distribution of animal-crushing videos and possessing and accessing child exploitation material with an intent to view it, prosecutors said.
Mr. Spitze regretted his actions, Mr. Cooper said, and experienced mental health issues and abused substances from an early age. By pleading guilty, Mr. Spitze sought to avoid a prolonged trial and spare his victims further trauma, he added.
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