Record
Ritual Abuse Allegations: Legal Status Record
This record states, for each person named on this site in connection with a ritual-abuse allegation, the highest point the legal process reached and how it ended, with the source's own words. It does not describe the acts alleged. It does not decide whether an allegation is true. Where an allegation is contested, each position is stated in its own terms.
How to read a status
Each person carries two terms: the highest point the legal process reached, and how that point ended. "Charged" and "closed on the statute of limitations" are different kinds of fact, and neither is a verdict.
The highest point the process reached
- alleged
- Means: An accusation exists (from a complainant, a lawsuit, a journalist, or online) and no investigating or charging authority has acted on it. Does not mean: That any authority found it credible or incredible.
- named in documents
- Means: The person's name appears in an official file without the person being a suspect or defendant, or was named and later removed. Does not mean: That the person is accused of anything.
- under investigation
- Means: An authority has said publicly that it is investigating the person. Does not mean: That a charge is likely or unlikely.
- formal suspect
- Means: The person holds a formal suspect status that is not an indictment (Norwegian siktet, French mis en examen, German Beschuldigter). The jurisdiction's own term is shown. Does not mean: Indicted, charged, or tried.
- arrested
- Means: Taken into custody. A person released on bail or under investigation stays here until a charge is filed. Does not mean: Charged.
- probable-cause finding
- Means: An investigating agency recorded a probable-cause finding against the person in its own files without a charge. The US Army CID 'title block' is the example. Does not mean: A charge, or that any court weighed the evidence.
- charged
- Means: A charge, complaint or indictment was filed by a prosecutor or grand jury. Does not mean: Guilt. An indictment is an accusation.
- pleaded
- Means: The person entered a plea that produces a conviction. The plea type is shown. Does not mean: That a jury heard evidence.
- convicted
- Means: A court or jury found the person guilty after trial. Does not mean: That the conviction is final, unless the record says so.
How it ended
- open
- Means: Still live: a charge, appeal or investigation is pending.
- closed, no charge
- Means: The investigating body closed its file without a charge, for the reason quoted. Does not mean: Innocence, or guilt. It means no charge.
- closed, statute of limitations
- Means: The file closed because the limitation period ran out before a charge. Does not mean: An acquittal, an exoneration, or a finding either way.
- charges dismissed
- Means: Charges were withdrawn or dismissed before a verdict, for the reason quoted. Does not mean: An acquittal. No fact-finder ruled.
- acquitted
- Means: A fact-finder found the person not guilty on the counts shown. Does not mean: That the allegation was found false. An acquittal is a failure of proof beyond reasonable doubt.
- sentenced
- Means: Conviction or plea followed by sentence, as imposed.
- conviction vacated
- Means: A court set the conviction aside, for the reason quoted. Does not mean: Innocence, unless a court said so.
- declared innocent
- Means: A court or the prosecuting authority formally declared the person innocent. The exact words are quoted.
- pardoned
- Means: Executive pardon after conviction or plea. The conviction stands as a matter of record unless expunged. Does not mean: Reversal.
- died before any charge
- Means: Died with no charge ever filed. Does not mean: Anything about guilt or innocence.
- died before trial
- Means: Charged, and died before a verdict. The charges abated. Does not mean: A conviction.
- executed
- Means: Sentence of death carried out, on the date shown.
Civil matters
- civil suit pending
- Means: Suit filed, no judgment.
- civil judgment
- Means: Judgment after trial or on the merits, for the party shown.
- civil default judgment
- Means: Judgment because the defendant did not answer; the complaint's allegations were taken as true for that reason. Does not mean: A finding after contested evidence.
- civil settlement
- Means: Settled; terms public or not. Does not mean: That either side won.
- civil suit dismissed
- Means: Dismissed, or judgment for the defendant, on the ground quoted. Does not mean: That the claims were false, unless the court said so.
| Case | Jurisdiction | Era | Persons | Active | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 764 leadership case (federal complaint, 2025) | US federal | 2020- |
| active | |
The record and its sourcesTwo men described by the Justice Department as leaders of the network called 764 were charged in April 2025 with operating a child exploitation enterprise. Prasan Nepal pleaded guilty on 8 October 2026 to conspiracy to commit sexual exploitation of a child; sentencing is set for 5 March 2027. The case against Leonidas Varagiannis is pending. The recordLeonidas Varagiannischarged then open Charged: A charge, complaint or indictment was filed by a prosecutor or grand jury. Does not mean: Guilt. An indictment is an accusation.
Prasan Nepalpleaded then open Pleaded: The person entered a plea that produces a conviction. The plea type is shown. Does not mean: That a jury heard evidence.
Allegation category
On this site | |||||
| CVLT (federal indictment, 2025) | US federal | 2020- |
| active | |
The record and its sourcesA federal grand jury indicted four men in January 2025 on child-exploitation charges tied to an online group called CVLT. Three have since pleaded guilty and await sentencing; the charge against the fourth is pending. One of them was already serving a separate Virginia state sentence for other conduct. The recordRohan Sandeep Ranecharged then open Charged: A charge, complaint or indictment was filed by a prosecutor or grand jury. Does not mean: Guilt. An indictment is an accusation.
Colin John Thomas Walker; Clint Jordan Lopaka Nahooikaika Borgepleaded then open (plea: guilty) Pleaded: The person entered a plea that produces a conviction. The plea type is shown. Does not mean: That a jury heard evidence.
Kaleb Christopher Merrittpleaded then open (plea: guilty) Pleaded: The person entered a plea that produces a conviction. The plea type is shown. Does not mean: That a jury heard evidence.
Allegation category
On this site | |||||
| 764: racketeering plea (San Antonio, 2025) | US federal | 2020- |
| active | |
The record and its sourcesA San Antonio man described as a member of 764 pleaded guilty in December 2025 to racketeering and child-exploitation counts, and was sentenced in July 2026 to 40 years in federal prison. He has filed a notice of appeal. The recordAlexis Aldair Chavezpleaded then sentenced (plea: guilty) Pleaded: The person entered a plea that produces a conviction. The plea type is shown. Does not mean: That a jury heard evidence.
Allegation category
On this site | |||||
| 764: Richard Densmore (W.D. Mich., 2024) | US federal | 2020- |
| no | |
The record and its sourcesA Michigan man described by the Justice Department as a 764 network figure pleaded guilty in July 2024 to one count of sexual exploitation of a child and was sentenced in November 2024 to 30 years in federal prison. The recordRichard Anthony Reyna Densmorepleaded then sentenced (plea: guilty) Pleaded: The person entered a plea that produces a conviction. The plea type is shown. Does not mean: That a jury heard evidence.
Allegation category
On this site | |||||
| "Greggy's Cult" (federal indictment, E.D.N.Y., 2025) | US federal | 2020- |
| active | |
The record and its sourcesAn indictment unsealed in December 2025 charges five men with a child exploitation enterprise run through Discord servers. The case is pending; the charges are allegations. The recordHector Bermudez; Zachary Dosch; Rumaldo Valdez; David Brilhante; Camden Rodriguezcharged then open Charged: A charge, complaint or indictment was filed by a prosecutor or grand jury. Does not mean: Guilt. An indictment is an accusation.
Allegation category
| |||||
| Presidio Child Development Center (San Francisco, 1986-1989) | California, US Army | 1980-1999 |
| no | |
The record and its sources, with the contested pointsAllegations of abuse at the Army base's child development center in 1986-87 led to investigations by the San Francisco Police Department and the Army's Criminal Investigation Command. The police closed their file in 1988 without a charge. The Army investigators recorded a probable-cause finding against Michael Aquino in 1989 and closed the case because the limitation period had run out. No court tried the allegations. Aquino's suit to have the Army's report amended failed. The recordMichael A. Aquinoprobable-cause finding (titled (US Army CID)) then closed, statute of limitations Probable cause finding: An investigating agency recorded a probable-cause finding against the person in its own files without a charge. The US Army CID 'title block' is the example. Does not mean: A charge, or that any court weighed the evidence. Never charged by any authority. Not exonerated by any authority. No court tried the allegations.
Civil matters
Gary Hambrightcharged then charges dismissed Charged: A charge, complaint or indictment was filed by a prosecutor or grand jury. Does not mean: Guilt. An indictment is an accusation. Never tried. The charges were dismissed, not adjudicated.
Lilith Aquinonamed in documents (name deleted from the CID report (1990)) then closed, no charge Named in documents: The person's name appears in an official file without the person being a suspect or defendant, or was named and later removed. Does not mean: That the person is accused of anything. Never charged.
Allegation category
Contested pointsHeld by: Michael Aquino, in his court filings and later writing Position: He was away from San Francisco during the period alleged; the accusation followed from his being a known Satanist; political pressure was put on the Army to remove him. Evidence: The Fourth Circuit accepted that some pressure reached the top of the Army, and did not accept that it reached the investigators. The investigators rejected the alibi.
Aquino v. Stone, 957 F.2d 139 (4th Cir. 1992) What would settle it: The full CID report of investigation, and Aquino's course records for the weeks alleged. On this site | |||||
| Jubilation Day Care (Fort Bragg, California, 1985) | California | 1980-1999 |
| no | |
The record and its sourcesAllegations of ritual abuse at a Mendocino County daycare were investigated by the sheriff's department. The district attorney declined to prosecute, and the sheriff's investigator said none of the allegations was sustained. The operator surrendered the licence in December 1985. The recordBarbara Orralleged then closed, no charge Alleged: An accusation exists (from a complainant, a lawsuit, a journalist, or online) and no investigating or charging authority has acted on it. Does not mean: That any authority found it credible or incredible. The article's headline calls the case a witch hunt; that is the newspaper's word.
Allegation category
On this site | |||||
| Altamira boys case (Pará, Brazil, 1989-1993) | Brazil | 1980-1999 |
| no | |
The record and its sourcesThe killing and mutilation of boys in Altamira between 1989 and 1993 was prosecuted as the work of a group that included the leader of a spiritual movement. In December 2003 a jury convicted four defendants and acquitted her by six votes to one. The prosecution's ritual theory and the acquittal stand side by side in the record. The recordValentina de Andradecharged then acquitted Charged: A charge, complaint or indictment was filed by a prosecutor or grand jury. Does not mean: Guilt. An indictment is an accusation.
Anísio Ferreira de Souzaconvicted then sentenced Convicted: A court or jury found the person guilty after trial. Does not mean: That the conviction is final, unless the record says so.
Allegation category
On this site | |||||
| Aum Shinrikyo (Japan, 1995 sarin attack) | Japan | 1980-1999 |
| no | |
The record and its sourcesMembers of the Aum Shinrikyo group were tried for the 1995 sarin attack on the Tokyo subway and other killings. Thirteen were executed in July 2018: the founder and six others on 6 July, and six more on 26 July. Others received prison terms, including life imprisonment for the driver of one of the attackers. The recordShoko Asahara (Chizuo Matsumoto)convicted then executed Convicted: A court or jury found the person guilty after trial. Does not mean: That the conviction is final, unless the record says so.
Satoru Hashimoto; Toru Toyoda; Kenichi Hirose; Yasuo Hayashi (Koike); Masato Yokoyama; Kazuaki Okazaki (Miyamae)convicted then executed Convicted: A court or jury found the person guilty after trial. Does not mean: That the conviction is final, unless the record says so.
Koichi Kitamuraconvicted then sentenced Convicted: A court or jury found the person guilty after trial. Does not mean: That the conviction is final, unless the record says so. The Japan Times article misspells the attacker's given name; he is Kenichi Hirose.
Allegation category
On this site | |||||
| Comet Ping Pong (Washington, D.C., 2016) | District of Columbia, US federal | 2000-2019 |
| no | |
The record and its sourcesAn online claim that a Washington restaurant hid child abuse led a man to enter it with a rifle in December 2016 and fire a shot. No investigation of the online claim was opened and no one was charged on it. The gunman pleaded guilty to federal and District of Columbia charges and was sentenced to four years. The recordEdgar Maddison Welchpleaded then sentenced (plea: guilty) Pleaded: The person entered a plea that produces a conviction. The plea type is shown. Does not mean: That a jury heard evidence.
Allegation category
On this site | |||||
| Trent blood libel (1475) | Trent, Papal States | pre-1900 |
| no | |
The record and its sourcesAfter a child's death in Trent in 1475, members of the town's Jewish community were tortured, tried and put to death. A papal commissioner reported the accused innocent. In 1478 Pope Sixtus IV's bull Facit nos pietas declared the proceedings correctly conducted. The resulting cult was suppressed in 1965. The recordThe accused Jews of Trent (not individually named here)convicted then executed Convicted: A court or jury found the person guilty after trial. Does not mean: That the conviction is final, unless the record says so.
Allegation category
On this site | |||||
| 764: Cameron Finnigan (Central Criminal Court, London, 2025) | England and Wales | 2020- |
| no | |
The record and its sourcesA man arrested in March 2024 pleaded guilty to encouraging or assisting suicide, possessing a document for terrorist purposes, possessing indecent images and two offences of criminal damage. The sentencing judge found that he had been involved in the group known as 764. The recordCameron Finniganpleaded then sentenced (plea: guilty) Pleaded: The person entered a plea that produces a conviction. The plea type is shown. Does not mean: That a jury heard evidence.
Allegation category
On this site | |||||
Method and sourcing
- Every status carries a source and a verbatim quotation from it. With no source, there is no row.
- Primary records come first: court opinions, sentencing remarks, prosecutors’ and agencies’ releases. A living person is not listed at the level of arrest or above on press reports alone.
- The acts alleged are not described. An allegation is identified by category only.
- Children are never named, and no victim is named. A case is named by its place, its group or its defendant.
- Characterizations such as “witch hunt”, “cover-up” or “cult” belong to whoever said them. They appear only inside quotation marks, attributed.
- Where a point is contested, each position is stated separately: who holds it, what it claims, the evidence, and what would settle it.
- A case that is still active is re-checked against its sources at least every ninety days.