EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – A federal judge has given an Arizona man a Dec. 5 deadline to enter pleas to 29 felony charges ranging from providing material support to terrorists to coercing minors into crushing animals.
The charges are part of a superseding indictment returned Oct. 29 in U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona against Baron Cain Martin, 21, of Tucson.
The indictment accuses Martin of being a member of a violent extremist group called 764 that is part of network of online users advocating the downfall of the U.S. government and world order through corruption and exploitation.
Group members allegedly contact vulnerable internet users, including minors and those with mental health issues, befriending them but then compelling them to harm themselves or others and engage in recorded sexual acts.
Martin is accused of posting an online manual instructing others how to target potential victims with mental health illness, eating disorders and a history of self-harm and manipulate them into the production of child sexual abuse material. He’s also charged with the attempted murder-for-hire of the grandmother of one of his alleged victims.
Court documents don’t specify the gender of victims, but group members referred to them as “e-girls” and the manual is called “Grooming/Manipulating E-girls Guide.”
“Martin stands accused of engaging in conduct specifically intended to inflict pain, spread fear, and destroy innocence,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “His alleged actions targeting children as part of the 764 online terror network are so depraved they defy comprehension.”
Court records allege Martin, aka “Convict,” has been a participant and administrator in 764 chatrooms since at least 2019. And since September 2022, he allegedly conspired with others to coerce victims to self-harm, self-maim, and self-kill.
From August to December 2022, for instance, Martin allegedly told a 13-year-old victim to cut his name, swastikas, satanic symbols and phrases “in every possible place.” When the victim hesitated, he allegedly obtained her IP address, and threatened to tell her mother and other students.
He also allegedly threatened to send someone to “rape [the victim] and hurt [the victim’s] family,” court records show.
Martin that month allegedly sent another 764 member a nude photograph of the victim with the phrase “Convict owns me” carved into the victim’s groin.
He later allegedly manipulated a 15-year-old into cutting her arm to “see the entire arm dripping in blood” for the purpose of producing a video of sadistic and masochistic conduct, court records allege.
Martin allegedly bragged to an online peer about manipulating another victim into “feeding [their] hamster to [their] dog,” court documents show.
“The defendant’s alleged actions in this case are an assault on the basic foundations of human decency,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona Timothy Courchaine. “While cowardly hiding his identity behind a screen and a moniker, Martin preyed upon vulnerable victims while promoting some of the sickest forms of human depravity.”
Prosecutors are linking him to nine exploitation victims including eight who were between 11 and 15 years old at the time offenses such as cyberstalking, coercion and enticement, cyberstalking resulting in permanent disfigurement occurred. Court records show all the victims resided outside the United States.
In a statement, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the case is a wakeup call for parents.
“This man’s alleged crimes are unthinkably depraved and reflect the horrific danger of 764 — if convicted, he will face severe consequences as we work to dismantle this evil network,” Bondi said. “I urge parents to remain vigilant about the threats their children face online.”
Martin faces life in prison if convicted of participating in a child exploitation enterprise, conspiracy to kill and maim in a foreign country, and coercion and enticement of a child. He faces 30 years in prison for each count of production of child pornography, 15 years for providing material support to terrorists and up to 20 years for cyberstalking resulting in permanent disfigurement or bodily injury.
He has also been indicted for wire fraud and cyberstalking, among others. Martin has been in custody since December 2024.
764 derives its name from the ZIP code (Stephenville, Texas) of its founder, according to investigators.