An arrest for a weapons charge almost two years ago in Queens has led to an FBI warning about a global Satanic pedophile ring in which the suspect was allegedly involved.
Angel Almeida, 23, was arrested for being a felon in possession of a firearm in November 2021, according to The Guardian.
Authorities say the accompanying investigation led them to evidence of his participation in a worldwide cult that likely consists of thousands of offenders using platforms such as Discord, Twitch, and Telegram to lure victims.
The total number of victims is unknown.
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23-year-old NYC man’s gun arrest leads authorities to Satanic pedophile cult https://t.co/zD4R1CGBN9 pic.twitter.com/2rNaqoAqON
— New York Post (@nypost) September 28, 2023
On Sept. 12, the FBI released a public statement about their findings.
According to the statement, this cult is one of multiple online groups that “use threats, blackmail, and manipulation to control the victims into recording or live-streaming self-harm, sexually explicit acts, and/or suicide; the footage is then circulated among members to extort victims further and exert control over them.”
Almeida is a member of this group, known as 746, per the New York Post.
It is reportedly an offshoot of an organization called the Order of Nine Angels (O9A), which preaches elements of white supremacy, neo-Nazism, and Satanism.
When authorities raided Almeida’s home, they found books about O9A and drawings related to the organization.
One of the drawings appeared to have blood smeared on it, which authorities say indicates that it may be a “blood covenant” related to the organization.
Along with the cult-specific material, the raid yielded hundreds of files of child pornography, which were contained on four separate devices.
Almeida also stands accused of trying to lure two underage girls into participating in sexual activity.
He allegedly intended to use one of the underage girls in pornography he was producing.
Almeida first came to the FBI’s attention for this behavior in September 2021, according to a February press release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District New York.
The FBI allegedly received multiple tips around that time that Almeida was in unlawful possession of firearms and was also posting sexual images of minors online.
This eventually led to his arrest on the weapons charge.
Authorities subsequently found evidence of the other crimes for which he was charged, including sexual exploitation and attempted exploitation of a minor, coercion and enticement and attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, and possession of child pornography.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.