--- category: Crime Investigation created: 2026-05-22 location: District of Arizona, Tucson Division start: 2024-12-11 summary: United States v. Martin, 4:25-cr-00190, is the first federal prosecution to charge a 764 Network member under a terrorism statute, using 18 U.S.C. § 2339A anchored to an 18 U.S.C. § 956(a) conspiracy to kill or maim a victim located overseas. tags: - Event - FederalCase - NVE - DomesticTerrorism - MaterialSupport - TerrorismCharge - Arizona - CSAM - ChildExploitation - 764Network updated: 2026-05-22 --- United States v. Martin, 4:25-cr-00190-TUC-AMM(BGM), is a federal criminal case pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, Tucson Division, against [Baron Cain Martin](/people/baron-cain-martin/), alias "Convict." The case is historically significant as the first federal prosecution to charge a [764](/organizations/764-network/) or related [Nihilistic Violent Extremism](/concepts/nihilistic-violent-extremism/) (NVE) network member under a federal terrorism statute. ### Procedural History Martin was arrested on December 11, 2024 on initial charges filed under magistrate case 4:24-mj-11950. A federal grand jury returned a 29-count superseding indictment that was unsealed on October 31, 2025. Martin was arraigned on the superseding indictment on November 21, 2025, and entered a not-guilty plea to all counts. The case was designated complex by the court. U.S. District Judge Angela M. Martinez is the presiding judge; Bruce G. Macdonald is the assigned magistrate. An original trial date of March 24, 2026 was vacated. A status conference was scheduled before Magistrate Macdonald for May 19, 2026. The current jury trial date is June 30, 2026, with a plea deadline of June 19, 2026.[^1] Martin has been held in federal pretrial detention continuously since December 11, 2024. The prosecution is led by [Justin Sher](/people/justin-sher/) and James Donnelly of the U.S. Department of Justice National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section, under the authority of U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine for the District of Arizona.[^2] ### Charges The 29-count superseding indictment charges: - Participating in a child exploitation enterprise (18 U.S.C. § 2252A(g)), life maximum - Conspiring to provide material support to terrorists ([18 U.S.C. § 2339A](/concepts/18-usc-2339a/)), 15 years maximum - Conspiring to kill, kidnap or maim persons in a foreign country ([18 U.S.C. § 956(a)](/concepts/18-usc-956/)), life maximum if death results; 35 years for maiming - Producing child sexual abuse material (CSAM), 5 counts, 30 years per count - Distributing CSAM, 11 counts - Coercing and enticing minors to engage in sexual activity, 3 counts, life maximum - Cyberstalking, 3 counts, up to 20 years per count for offenses resulting in permanent disfigurement - Animal crushing and distribution of animal crush videos - Conspiracy to commit wire fraud[^2] ### The Terrorism Theory The terrorism count (2339A conspiracy) is the legally unprecedented element of the case. DOJ charged Martin with conspiring to provide material support, specifically himself as personnel, the "Grooming/Manipulation Egirls Guide" as expert advice or assistance, and operational direction of other 764 members as services, in furtherance of a conspiracy under 956(a) to kill or maim persons in a foreign country. The predicate 956(a) conspiracy rests on a September 2022 episode in which Martin and co-conspirators allegedly directed a victim identified as "Victim 7," located outside the United States, to self-harm, self-maim, and die by suicide. DOJ's theory classifies coercing an overseas victim into lethal self-harm as a conspiracy to "kill or maim" within the meaning of 956(a). No Foreign Terrorist Organization designation is required under 2339A.[^3] The specific form of material support alleged includes three categories: 1. Personnel: Martin provided himself as an operator directing the 956(a) conspiracy 2. Expert advice or assistance: authorship and distribution of the grooming guide 3. Services: operational direction and coordination of 764 network activity U.S. Attorney Courchaine stated at a press conference that the ideology itself provides the terrorism nexus: "It's terrorism because it was an ideology that specifically motivated violent actions," referring to the stated 764 goal of bringing about societal collapse.[^4] ### Victims The superseding indictment identifies at least nine victims, eight of whom were minors between the ages of 11 and 15 at the time of the offenses. Victims are not publicly named. Alleged conduct includes coercing victims to produce CSAM, self-harm, self-maim, and harm or kill animals. An additional allegation concerns a 2022 murder-for-hire solicitation in which Martin allegedly offered $3,000 to have the grandmother of a 13-year-old victim killed and provided the grandmother's address alongside the solicitation in a Discord chat.[^4] ### Precedential Value The case establishes the first documented instance of 2339A being applied to an NVE network member. The 956(a)/2339A combination is available against any 764 operator where at least one victim can be identified as located outside the United States, a condition routinely met given 764's transnational structure. The case thus creates a replicable terrorism charging template for future 764 prosecutions. Analysts at the GWU Program on Extremism described the case as signaling that DOJ "has signaled that NVE networks like 764 are terrorist enterprises engaged in organized campaigns of violence and coercion designed to terrorize, destabilize, and degrade society."[^3] [^1]: CourtListener, United States v. Martin, 4:25-cr-00190-TUC-AMM(BGM), D. Ariz. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69535068/united-states-v-martin/; PacerMonitor, USA v. Martin. https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/56789960/USA_v_Martin [^2]: U.S. Department of Justice, OPA. "Arizona Leader of Violent Extremist Network '764' Charged with Running a Child Exploitation Enterprise, Supporting Terrorists, Producing and Distributing Child Pornography, and Other Crimes." October 31, 2025. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/arizona-leader-violent-extremist-network-764-charged-running-child-exploitation-enterprise [^3]: Baumgartner, Luke, and Barry Jonas. "How the DOJ is Prosecuting Nihilistic Violent Extremism as Domestic Terrorism." *Just Security,* December 9, 2025. https://www.justsecurity.org/126226/prosecuting-nihilistic-violent-extremism-domestic-terrorism/ [^4]: AZFamily. "Tucson case first in nation to pursue federal terrorism charges against member of 764." April 3, 2026. https://www.azfamily.com/2026/04/03/tucson-case-first-nation-pursue-federal-terrorism-charges-against-member-764/