Neo-Nazis Allegedly Targeted Children for Sexploitation and Self-Harm
U.S. federal authorities have indicted four members of a neo-Nazi group who blackmailed children into self-harm and explicit sexual acts.
The four men were members of CVLT, a cult that had neo-Nazism, nihilism and pedophilia as their main principles, according to a Justice Department press release.
Colin John Thomas Walker, 23, of Bridgeton, N.J.; Clint Jordan Lopaka Nahooikaika Borge, 41, of Pahoa, Hawaii; Kaleb Christopher Merritt, 24, of Spring, Texas; and Rohan Sandeep Rane, 28, of Antibes, France exploited children’s vulnerabilities, including mental health challenges and prior cases of sexual abuse manipulate them in the despicable scheme.
The federal indictment charged each of the men with one count of engaging in child exploitation. They face up to life in prison if convicted.
Demanding Victims Commit ‘Increasingly Dehumanizing Acts’
From 2019 to 2022, men allegedly coerced 16 minors into fulfilling their requests, according to court documents. The stated goal of the group was to “create an army of sadist followers,” and the “ increasingly dehumanizing acts” included punching themselves, drinking their own urine and using the razor blades to cut the names of CVLT members’ names into their skin, states the indictment.
Used Sexual Blackmail to Exert Power
If the victims started to hesitate, resist or threaten to tell their parents or police, the men used different forms of blackmail to retain power. Sometimes, they followed through with their threats.
Rane, Walker and Merritt were identified as leaders of the group as they were responsible for hosting and running online servers CVLT used and also controlled the membership in the group.
Walker and Borge were arrested in January 2025. Rane was held in custody in France since 2022 for committing several child exploitation offenses, while Merritt is imprisoned for 50 years in Virginia for child sex abuse he committed between 2020 and 2021.
Other Recent Cases
This case is just the latest in a long list of sextortion cases that occurred in recent months.
In September 2024, Sonny Dale Applegate from Indianapolis was sentenced to 44 years in federal prison for sexually exploiting a child.
A few months earlier, in April 2024, Hadja Kone of Delaware was arrested for her participation in a sextortion scheme.
Protect Yourself and Your Kids
With modern technology, sextortion is an increasing problem around the world, one that can lead to tragedy in the form of suicides by the victims.
You can read our resource guide on what to do in an attempted sextortion scam in our Sextortion… How to Navigate It and Deter Further Attempts article.
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