A Pennsylvania teenager faces federal charges for allegedly grooming a 13-year-old California girl online, coercing her into sending him sexually explicit images and engaging in self-harm, then traveling across the country to abuse her at a motel.
The actions are tied to nihilistic violent extremist (NVE) ideology aimed at societal collapse, FBI Director Kash Patel said Feb. 23.
Matthew Edward Pysher, 18, of Bangor, was taken into custody late Feb. 20 in Castaic, California, about 46 miles north of downtown Los Angeles. He made his initial court appearance on Feb. 23 in Los Angeles. He is charged with travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, a felony carrying a sentence of up to 30 years in federal prison.
Pysher allegedly groomed the victim, who had only recently turned 13, according to the DOJ, from at least December 2025 to Feb. 20, 2026, via the online platform Discord.
Pysher found the girl on a server for individuals with mental illness and pushed her to conduct explicit acts and self-mutilation, according to a release by the Justice Department.
The victim’s mother contacted the FBI on Feb. 10, regarding a man named Matthew urging her daughter to harm herself. On Feb. 20, Pysher allegedly flew from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, picked up the girl near her home, and drove her to a Castaic motel.
Law enforcement showed up at the motel, where they discovered Pysher and the victim, as well as condoms, a knife, lubricant, razor blades, bloody tissues, and Pysher’s boarding pass.
Pysher had also brought a Faraday bag, which can block cellphone signals. The victim reported sexual misconduct and cuts inflicted by Pysher.
Law enforcement has tied Pysher to NVE ideology, which targets minors via social media, sharing abuse or gore material, and extorting victims into self-harm, sexual acts, animal cruelty, violence, or threats.
“Much of their activity is online and coerces young kids into self-harm, sexual abuse, or other acts of violence,” Patel said in an X post on Feb. 23. “This is a sweeping, nationwide effort we are pursuing to take out these networks and eliminate them.”
NVE arrests rose 490 percent in 2025, and 4 million pedophile accounts have been removed from the dark web, Patel said. He added that the FBI and agency partners have taken a more aggressive approach against the NVE group, which he described as a horrific extremism often associated with the 764 Network, which preys on young children.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said sadistic predators are targeting children.
“Law enforcement will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute those who seek to harm children,” he said. “We advise parents to keep their kids offline.”
Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, also warned of the threat.
“The subject arrested this weekend is one of a growing number of alleged nihilistic violent extremists who prey on children and talk them into compromising sex acts and self-mutilation,” Davis said. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners are committed to finding and holding accountable these sadistic predators and ensuring they face serious consequences for their vile acts.”
