A Tucson man, who called himself the “king of extortion” online, has been accused by federal authorities of grooming and extorting teen girls, and coercing them to self-mutilate on camera in acts often shared on the internet.
Baron Martin, 20, was arrested on suspicion of producing child sex-abuse material and cyberstalking as part of his participation in online “violent terror networks” known as 764 and CVLT, the Department of Justice said in a news release. He was apprehended Dec. 11.
“The details in this case are simply horrific as the defendant allegedly coerced children to harm themselves multiple times,” Robert Wells, executive assistant director of the FBI’s National Security Branch said in the release. “The FBI’s mission is to protect the American people and we take that especially seriously when it comes to the young and vulnerable.”
Martin has been accused of making young, teenage girls carve swastikas into their skin, mutilate themselves by scratching his name all over their bodies, and pour rubbing alcohol into their open wounds. He would then allegedly share the videos with other members of the 764 network, according to the DOJ.
Authorities said 764 members target girls and either film, photograph or live-stream sex, gore and self-mutilation that’s shared with members of the online network.
Since about 2021, Martin, who goes by “Convict” online, has participated in chatrooms related to 764 and CVLT. According to the criminal complaint, Martin used his online presence to teach 764 members how to extort victims, boasting he was “the catalyst for thousands of extortions”. Martin also created and posted on a social media platform a detailed guide on how to identify, groom and extort vulnerable minors, the release said.
The complaint says Martin produced child sex-abuse material in September 2022 on Discord, a chat and gaming platform, by making two separate minors self-mutilate for him. In one incident Martin had a 13-year-old girl carve his name “in every possible place” on her body, including her chest, stomach, and thighs. And he threatened to “leak” pictures of her if she did not comply. In a second incident involving the same girl, Martin directed her to cut swastikas and satanic symbols into her skin, the complaint says.
Martin also directed a 16-year-old girl to scratch herself with her nails until she was able to “draw blood,” the release said. “I want it dripping,” he told the girl who was then ordered to pour rubbing alcohol over the wounds. Authorities said Martin later sent three videos of this abuse to another online user.
Martin is also accused of cyberstalking. Federal authorities say he allegedly sent threats to a different 13-year-old September 2022. Authorities say Martin told the girl he put a “hit” on her grandmother, and had allegedly agreed to pay someone $3,000 to kidnap and murder the woman, whose home address he provided. The complaint alleges that in a separate chat, Martin posted the phone numbers of both the girl and her grandmother and encouraged the online network of users to harass them both.
If convicted, Martin faces up to 30 years in prison for producing child sexual-abuse material and up to 10 years in prison for cyberstalking. Each offense also carries a fine of up to $250,000 and up to a lifetime of supervised release.
The FBI continues to investigate the case.
