Kyle Spitze

Kyle William Spitze, known online as "Criminal" and "CRIMINALOLI," is a 26-year-old resident of Maryville, Tennessee (Blount County) who was a member of both the 764 Network and its splinter group Harm Nation. He is the most publicly documented Harm Nation prosecution as of mid-2026. Spitze pleaded guilty on December 16, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Thomas A. Varlan in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee (Knoxville) to federal charges of producing child pornography, distributing animal crushing videos, and possessing child sexual abuse material.¹

Criminal Conduct

Spitze operated across Telegram and related platforms under aliases including "Criminal" and "CRIMINALOLI," using these handles within 764 and Harm Nation spaces to produce, distribute, and receive child sexual abuse material.

Court documents describe two categories of conduct. In the first, Spitze shared sexual videos of young children to a Telegram channel; some of these videos included variations of his online username written in blood or carved onto the bodies of minor victims. In the second, Spitze filmed the mutilation of a chicken in a bathtub, with the animal's intestines arranged to spell out his username, and distributed this content as "animal crushing" material within the network.

Spitze was also accused of enticing a minor and possessing child sexual abuse material with intent to view it.

Arrest and Charges

Spitze was initially charged at the state level in Blount County. A federal superseding indictment was returned on March 2, 2024, in the Eastern District of Tennessee, charging eight counts:

1. Production of child pornography (Count 1)
2. Production of child pornography (Count 2)
3. Production of child pornography (Count 3)
4. Enticement of a minor (Count 4)
5. Distribution of animal crushing videos (Count 5)
6. Distribution of animal crushing videos (Count 6)
7. Distribution of animal crushing videos (Count 7)
8. Possession with intent to view child pornography (Count 8)

Spitze was held in custody pending proceedings.

Guilty Plea

On December 16, 2024, Spitze entered a guilty plea before Judge Thomas A. Varlan to Counts 1, 6, 7, and 8 (one production count, all three animal crushing distribution counts, and the possession count). Counts 2, 3, 4, and 5 were dropped pursuant to the plea agreement.

The two production of child pornography counts carry a statutory sentencing range of 15 to 30 years each. The plea agreement subjects Spitze to a potential aggregate sentence of 30 years to life in federal prison, plus mandatory supervision restrictions.²

Sentencing

A sentencing hearing before Judge Varlan was scheduled for January 8, 2026, then cancelled by court order signed December 23, 2025. No new sentencing date had been publicly set as of mid-2026. The case docket is United States v. Spitze-TV1, 3:24-cr-00025 (E.D. Tenn.).

Father's Prosecution

Spitze's father, Michael W. Spitze, 60, of Maryland, was separately charged in connection with the case. Michael Spitze contacted a 12-year-old victim of his son's crimes and sent her a message reading "Please delete anything you think might not help him. And encourage anyone else to delete in his behalf," constituting witness tampering. He pleaded guilty to one count of tampering with a witness. His sentencing before the United States District Court in Knoxville was scheduled for May 20, 2026.³