Second Albany County man charged in ‘764’ child sex abuse image investigation

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York announced on Thursday that a second Albany County man has been arrested in connection to the extremist organization “764.” Ryan Catello, 24, of Ravena, was charged with receiving child sex abuse images.

Catello, also known under the aliases of “Stabzone” and “Mors,” is accused of exploiting at least two children between March 18 and March 27 by intimidating them into taking sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves that he reportedly later downloaded from the internet. According to investigators, Catello is also allegedly a member of 764, a network of Nihilistic Violent Extremists (NVE) that facilitates the production and sharing of graphic images depicting the sexual abuse of children.

“Ryan Catello, an alleged member of the nihilistic violent extremist group “764,” has been charged for allegedly receiving sexually explicit content of minors via the Internet. Preying on our nation’s children, who are among the most vulnerable members of society, is beyond comprehension,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney John Sarcone III said. “I thank the FBI and the New York State Police for their hard work and the sacrifices they make every day to keep our communities safe. I also recognize the importance of social media platforms that take steps to alert law enforcement to crimes like the ones alleged here. I encourage all companies in a position to do something about child sexual exploitation to be as aggressive as possible in identifying predators and making sure they are held accountable.”

Read more: ABC 10 Albany