Downey Man Arrested on Federal Complaint Alleging He Groomed Girls into Producing Sexually Explicit Videos that Featured Self-Harm

LOS ANGELES - A Downey man has been arrested on a federal criminal complaint charging him with coercing, inducing, and enticing minor girls to create and send him sexually explicit videos - one of them he groomed to film herself engage in self-harm and self-humiliation, images he shared with others online, the Justice Department announced today.

Bryant Najera Gonzalez, 24, is charged with production of child pornography. He was arrested on Thursday morning and made his initial appearance late Thursday afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles. A federal magistrate judge ordered Gonzalez jailed without bond. Gonzalez did not enter a plea, and his arraignment is scheduled for March 10.

"The complaint affidavit outlines disturbing behavior that is every parent's nightmare," said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. "To the individuals targeting children with sick acts as part of a twisted ideology, you've been warned: Your future is a lengthy federal prison sentence."

"Nihilistic violent extremism targeting children is on the rise domestically and internationally," said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office. "The arrest of Mr. Gonzalez this morning in our backyard is just the latest example of the growing nature of this perverse activity that encourages children toward sexual compromise and self-mutilation, then further victimizes them with extortion demands."

According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, from at least April 2025 to June 2025, through social media platforms, direct messaging, and other means of communication, Gonzalez coerced, induced, and enticed children to create and send him child sexual abuse material (CSAM). In communications with other online users, Gonzalez also discussed extorting his minor victims by, among other things, threatening to send sexually explicit images to the victims' families.

Based on Gonzalez's online activities, his coercion and enticement of minors to create CSAM and self-harm videos, law enforcement believes Gonzalez is associated with nihilistic violent extremist ideology such as "764."

The complaint details the nature of the 764, which is known to the FBI as a Nihilistic Violent Extremism (NVE) group whose members 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 at large and a desire to bring about its collapse by sowing indiscriminate chaos, destruction, and social instability.

NVEs oftentimes target vulnerable individuals, including minors, frequently using social media platforms to share CSAM are gore material, or grooming victims toward committing acts of violence. Victims can be blackmailed into complying with NVE demands, which vary, but may include 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.

For example, at Gonzalez's urging, one victim - then an 11-year-old girl - produced and sent to Gonzalez at least one CSAM video. Gonzalez possessed at least six CSAM videos and one CSAM image of this victim. After obtaining the sexually explicit videos and images of this victim, Gonzalez on multiple occasions shared the CSAM with other people via the internet.

At Gonzalez's urging, another victim - then a 15-year-old girl - produced and sent to him at least four sexually explicit images of herself and several videos in which she engaged in self-harm and self-humiliation.

A complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.

If convicted, Gonzalez would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison.

The FBI is investigating this matter with assistance from the Downey Police Department.

Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph S. Guzman of the National Security Division and Kelsey A. Stimson of the General Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.