Downey man admits targeting minors online

LOS ANGELES — A Downey man accused by prosecutors of targeting kids for sexual exploitation online through his role in a network of so-called "violent extremists" pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal charge.

Dong Hwan Kim, 28, entered a plea to two counts of production of child pornography.

A complaint filed in Los Angeles federal court states that several underage females reported Kim bullied them and other girls into sending him pictures and videos of themselves engaging in sexual acts.

The girls claimed that Kim tried to extort them by threatening to send naked photographs to the victims' family and others or post them online if they did not comply with his demands for more, federal prosecutors said.

Kim admitted in his plea agreement to participating in "764," an online group of "nihilistic" violent extremists who target children for sexual exploitation on the internet. Prosecutors said the group's goals include hastening "the downfall of the current world order," including the federal government.

Kim's attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.

Prosecutors said that according to one victim, Kim ran an online server where he and others created, posted and traded child pornography, and extorted minors to write on their skin and cut themselves.

U.S. District Judge Stanley Blumenfeld Jr. scheduled an Aug. 4 sentencing hearing, at which time Kim will face between 15 and 60 years in federal prison, prosecutors noted.

Kim is the second Los Angeles man charged in connection with "764." In December 2025, Jose Henry Ayala Casamiro, 29, of the San Fernando Valley, pleaded guilty to federal charges linked to the sexual exploitation of children online. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 24.