A federal grand jury indicted a 19-year-old central California man with the torture of an animal called animal crushing, sexual exploitation of a minor and other charges as a member of a violent extremist group called “764.”
The 10-page indictment was returned Thursday in the federal Eastern District of California’s Fresno location.
Tony Christopher Long, of Porterville, was charged with two counts of animal crushing, sexual exploitation of a minor, possession of material involving the sexual exploitation of a minor, cyberstalking and transmitting an interstate threat.
Long is currently in state custody on related charges.
Cornell Law School defines animal crushing as “conduct in which one or more living non-human mammals, birds, reptiles or amphibians is purposely crushed, burned, drowned, suffocated, impaled or otherwise subjected to serious bodily injury.”
The animal crushing occurred on or about Nov. 4 and Dec. 4 in Tulare County, about 165 miles north of Los Angeles, according to the affidavit,
“This defendant allegedly engaged in acts of extreme cruelty by exploiting a child, abusing animals, and threatening violence – his conduct reflects the depravity of ‘764,’ ” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a news release. “These networks seek to terrorize and destabilize our communities by preying on the most vulnerable, and the Justice Department will stop at nothing to dismantle this network and bring offenders to justice.”
He is an associate of “764,” which is a criminal organization of nihilistic violent extemists “who engage in criminal conduct within the United States and abroad in furtherance of political, social or religious goals that derive primarily from a hatred of society and a desire to bring about its collapse via chaos, destruction and social instability,” DOJ said.
In an effort to collapse a society “via chaos, destruction and social instability, they prey on vulnerable people, including minors, prosecutors said.
“The FBI has no tolerance for anyone who preys on children or other vulnerable members of society,” FBI Director Kash Patel said. “The FBI will work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and hold accountable anyone who engages in such reprehensible and illegal activity.”
In November and December, in Tulare County, Long allegedly exploited a juvenile victim living in Washington state, and committed cyberstalking and online threats against a juvenile living in Kern County, Calif.
If convicted, Long’s longest sentence is up to 30 years in prison for sexual exploitation of a minor. The six counts would total up to 76 years plus a fine of up to $250,000 for each charge.
The FBI investigated the case with the Porterville Police Department.
“This indictment charges a constellation of offenses related to the troubling emergence of NVEs like ‘764’ and related groups,” U.S. Attorney Eric Grant for the Eastern District of California said.
“My office will vigorously investigate and prosecute offenses committed by NVE groups, including those alleged to have been committed by Long against young and vulnerable victims.”
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by DOJ.
