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An 18-year-old Pennsylvania man was arrested and federally charged over the weekend after allegedly grooming a 13-year-old girl online to share sexually explicit images, with some content depicting severe self-mutilation, authorities announced Monday.
Officials described Matthew Edward Pysher as a “sadistic” predator who harbored ideologies consistent with nihilistic violent extremism (NVE) and “764,” an online “gore” group characterized by hatred of society and the promotion of self-harm, sexual exploitation and violence among children.
He was arrested late Friday while meeting with the girl at a Santa Clarita Valley, California, motel, where he allegedly coerced her to engage in sexual and abusive acts, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said.
“The subject arrested this weekend is one of a growing number of alleged nihilistic violent extremists who prey on children and talk them into compromising sex acts and self-mutilation,” Akil Davis, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, said in a statement.
Matthew Edward Pysher, 18, was arrested on Friday after allegedly grooming a young girl into sending sexually explicit content and engaging in self-harm. (DOJ/Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images)
“The FBI and our law enforcement partners are committed to finding and holding accountable these sadistic predators and ensuring they face serious consequences for their vile acts.”
Pysher, who had reportedly engaged with the victim online for at least three months, was arrested on Feb. 20, after traveling to Los Angeles to meet her near her home and taking her to a motel in Castaic.
During his arrest at the motel, officials recovered condoms, a knife, lubricant, razor blades, bloody tissues, and a boarding pass for Pysher’s flight to Los Angeles. Law enforcement also found a Faraday bag, commonly used to block electronic signals, near Pysher’s cellphone.
The FBI told Digital that Pysher allegedly had sex with the girl, and that the suspect had used a knife to cut her repeatedly.
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The Department of Justice (DOJ) said law enforcement were able to arrest the suspect after the victim’s mother contacted the FBI on Feb. 10, raising concerns that her daughter was being encouraged to self-harm.
She reported her daughter interacting with a person named “Matthew” on a Discord server related to individuals struggling with mental illness. During the FBI’s investigation, agents recovered evidence that the daughter sent a photo “cutting herself to the bone,” the agency told Digital.
The FBI has launched a sweeping probe of the violent online network known as “764” in 2025. (iStock)
“Because of the swift and coordinated efforts of local and federal law enforcement, and the decisive action of a vigilant mother who immediately contacted law enforcement, this young victim was safely recovered, and further harm was prevented,” Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert G. Luna said in a statement.
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Based on a review of the victim’s smartphone and Pysher’s online activity, Pysher may be associated with NVE ideology, whose members often target minors through social media to “share child sexual abuse material or gore material or to groom victims toward committing acts of violence.”
Victims are then frequently blackmailed into complying with NVE demands, which may include self-mutilation, sexual acts, harm to animals, sexual exploitation of siblings and others, acts of violence, and threats of violence, suicide or murder, according to the DOJ.
NVEs ideologies derive primarily from a “hatred of society” and “a desire to bring about its collapse by sowing indiscriminate chaos, destruction, and social instability,” officials said.
Friday’s arrest is part of an aggressive nationwide takedown led by FBI Director Kash Patel of crimes targeting children online. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Friday’s arrest is part of an aggressive nationwide takedown the FBI has undertaken against crimes targeting children online.
From 2024 to 2025, the FBI told Digital it saw “never-before-seen levels” of arrests, including a 490% increase in NVE-related arrests, a 20% increase in arrests linked to the 764 Network, the takedown of 4 million pedophile accounts on the dark web, and an 11% increase in child predator arrests.
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“Today’s announcement is the latest example in the FBI’s and our partner’s aggressive nationwide takedown of those who target our children,” FBI Director Kash Patel said.
“The prevalence of threats to kids online, including the 764 Network, is one of the most important issues in our country not enough people know about – in 2025 alone, the FBI saw an increase of almost 500% in NVE arrests, a 20% increase in child victims located, and 23% increase in human traffickers arrested.”
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