200 Images, Including Toddler Abuse: New Jersey Man Pleads Guilty to Accessing Child Sexual Exploitation Material
Hasbrouck Heights resident admitted to viewing illicit content; over 200 files found on devices, including footage of 3-year-old sexually abused by adult male
NEWARK, N.J. — A New Jersey man has pleaded guilty to accessing with intent to view child sexual exploitation material involving a prepubescent minor, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday — a case that uncovered more than 200 illicit images, including one depicting an approximately three-year-old child being sexually abused by an adult male.
Abhishek Vijayakumar, 43, of Hasbrouck Heights, entered the guilty plea in federal court Tuesday. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison when sentenced on Jan. 6, 2027.
According to court documents, Vijayakumar knowingly accessed the illicit material in March 2024. When law enforcement later reviewed his electronic devices, they discovered more than 200 images of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including the harrowing image of a young toddler being abused by an adult.
“The Department of Justice is committed to unmasking child predators and holding them accountable for their devastating crimes,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “As long as this threat to children remains, the Department’s prosecutors and law enforcement partners will work tirelessly to hold responsible those who facilitate the supply as well as the demand.”
FBI Newark Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy called the guilty plea “a bittersweet victory” that “acknowledges the victimization of the children depicted in the materials.” She added that the FBI “will continue its relentless quest to identify and stop those who abuse and exploit children.”
Record 77-year Sentence for Nihilistic Extremist Who Forced Children to Carve His Name in Blood
Kyle Spitze, administrator of ‘HarmNation’ network, admitted to terrorist motive in campaign of depravity that targeted vulnerable minors for sexual exploitation and self-harm
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A Tennessee man who was an original member of the nihilistic violent extremist group “764” and forced vulnerable children to carve his online moniker into their own flesh has been sentenced to 77 years in federal prison — the longest term ever imposed on a nihilistic violent extremist, prosecutors announced Tuesday.
Kyle William Spitze, 27, of Friendsville, also known online as “Crimhn,” “Criminal,” and “Criminaloli,” was sentenced for production of child sexual abuse material, abetting the distribution of animal crushing videos, and possessing and accessing with intent to view child sexual exploitation material. He will also face lifetime supervised release and mandatory sex offender registration.
Spitze was an administrator of the 764 network “HarmNation” and was committed to bringing about the “downfall of society” through terrorism, specifically by targeting children and other vulnerable people and extorting them to engage in criminal sexual conduct, self-harm, and mass casualty events, according to court documents. He admitted to investigators that he had a terrorist motive in committing his crimes.
The FBI began investigating in December 2023 after receiving tips that HarmNation members were distributing child sexual abuse material. Investigators identified Spitze as hosting a social media channel where he uploaded images and videos of nude minor girls who had self-mutilated with cuts and gashes, with variations of his “Crim” monikers written in blood on themselves or carved into their bodies. The channel also hosted images of animal mutilation, with similar markings.
In February 2024, a search warrant of Spitze’s cellphone revealed additional images and videos, particularly of two minor victims — one of whom had written “crim” on her chest scrawled in her own blood. That minor victim later told the FBI she was threatened by Spitze to produce the images for him to upload to a separate social media channel.
“These types of crimes are the worst of the worst: preying on vulnerable children in the name of a violent and twisted ideology,” said Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Federal law enforcement will not stop until nihilistic violent extremist groups and their depraved members are identified and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency is “laser focused” on identifying and arresting participants in nihilistic violent extremist networks, noting that the FBI arrested 500% more NVE offenders with partners last year. “I want to thank our FBI Nashville Field Office and the Knoxville Resident Agency who pursued this case and succeeded in bringing justice to the victims and their families,” he said.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg called the sentence “a strong message that civil society will not tolerate such depravity,” adding that the National Security Division “will work tirelessly with our law-enforcement partners to identify and prosecute these predators and keep our children safe from this new form of terrorism.”
U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III for the Eastern District of Tennessee said NVE members are “a threat to our communities” and vowed to prosecute them to the fullest extent.
FBI Nashville Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly emphasized that the bureau will “relentlessly pursue those associated with Nihilistic Violent Extremism networks who target and exploit children,” using every lawful tool available to disrupt and dismantle these networks and protect children from further harm.
The Justice Department noted that NVE groups such as 764 and HarmNation use online social media platforms to produce and distribute extreme gore media and child sexual abuse material depicting vulnerable, juvenile populations, often conducting group, coordinated extortion of under-aged victims to comply with the groups’ depraved demands. Victims are often extorted, coerced, compelled, and blackmailed into complying with NVE demands, including self-mutilation, online and in-person sexual acts, harm to animals, sexual exploitation of siblings and others, acts of violence, threats of violence, suicide, and murder.
While on Home Confinement for Statutory Rape: Convicted Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Purchasing 50+ Gigabytes of Child Abuse Material
Justin Wiegand set up hidden camera to film 10-year-old undressing, bought ‘young girls’ and ‘rape videos’ packages on messaging apps, prosecutors say
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A convicted felony sex offender who was serving a sentence for statutory rape continued his predatory behavior while on home confinement, pleading guilty Tuesday to receipt of child pornography after investigators discovered he had purchased more than 50 gigabytes of child sexual abuse material — and had secretly recorded a 10-year-old girl undressing in his bathroom.
Justin L. Wiegand, 34, of Kenova, West Virginia, faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 40 years in federal prison when sentenced on Nov. 23. The case exposed a disturbingly systematic pattern of predation that continued even while Wiegand was under court supervision for prior sexual offenses.
According to court documents, in December 2023, Wiegand contacted a user on an instant messaging app who offered options for purchasing videos and links to files depicting child sexual abuse material. The options included “Cp,” “Kids,” and “Young Girls.” Wiegand ordered a package from the Young Girls and Kids options that included approximately 160 videos and links to four folders on an online file hosting service containing over 50 gigabytes of CSAM. The videos depicted minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including adult males having sexual intercourse with prepubescent females. Wiegand paid the user $25 via an online payments system.
Between December 2023 and January 2025, Wiegand purchased CSAM from the same and other messaging app users on at least eight other occasions. During these transactions, he requested content such as “young girls cp” and asked if the user had rape videos.
But the case took an even more chilling turn when investigators discovered that Wiegand had set up a hidden camera in a bathroom at his residence and recorded a video of an approximately 10-year-old girl undressing until she was nude and taking a shower. The video was saved on one of his cell phones no later than July 29, 2025.
Wiegand possessed numerous images and videos of CSAM on his cell phones, including depictions of prepubescent minors engaged in sexual intercourse and oral sex with adults. He saved some of these images and videos using a private cloud storage service, including at least two images depicting an approximately 14-year-old girl displaying her nude genital area.
Adding to the horror, Wiegand had been convicted of two counts of third-degree sexual assault in Wayne County Circuit Court on May 5, 2023. As part of his guilty plea, Wiegand admitted that his victim in that case is the approximately 14-year-old girl depicted in the CSAM on the private cloud storage service. He also admitted that he was serving a term of home confinement for those convictions at the time of his current offenses.
“Sexual exploitation of children is one of the worst and most damaging crimes in our country,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Whether you produce child sexual abuse material, distribute it, or access it via subscriptions to messaging apps, we will find and prosecute you subject to mandatory minimum penalties, as in the case of this repeat offender.”
U.S. Attorney Moore Capito for the Southern District of West Virginia added: “This predator admitted to continuing his horrific crimes against children even while serving a sentence for statutory rape. Our office remains steadfast and unrelenting, working closely with our law enforcement partners to protect our children and communities from such heinous and abhorrent offenses.”
Deputy Assistant Director William Ferrari of DSS said the case “demonstrates how DSS leverages its global footprint to protect vulnerable victims and works with law enforcement partners on complex, multi-jurisdictional investigations.”
Wiegand faces a fine of up to $250,000 and at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release.
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