Ivory Coast men tied to sextortion scheme that led to suicide of San Jose teen, DOJ says
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Four men in the Ivory Coast have been linked to an international sextortion scheme that targeted thousands of victims, including minors — one of whom was a San Jose teenager who died by suicide after being scammed online, federal prosecutors said.
What we know
Ryan Last, 17, was a high school senior when he died in February 2022.
His mother, Pauline Stuart, later shared his story on the Dr. Phil show, explaining how her son was manipulated.
"They pretended to be a girl," she said. "They sent a picture first to him and said, 'Now that you have one of us – send us one in return. Within minutes of them getting the picture, they demanded $5,000 from him."
According to the Department of Justice, the scammers posed as a 20-year-old woman. Though Ryan didn't have $5,000, he sent $150 — but was then pressured for more under the threat of having his photo shared online.
He died by suicide eight hours after sending the compromising image.
One man tied to the scheme, Jonathan Kassi of Southern California, was arrested and convicted in 2023. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Dig deeper
Prosecutors said Kassi did not act alone. He had four accomplices in Côte d'Ivoire who helped orchestrate the scam, which targeted victims in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Spain and Italy.
A joint investigation between U.S. and Ivorian authorities led to the identification of Alfred Kassi — not related to Jonathan Kassi — as another key culprit in the scheme. He was arrested by Ivorian law enforcement on April 29 and, at the time of his arrest, allegedly still had messages linked to Ryan Last's sextortion.
Three other alleged accomplices — Oumarou Ouedraogo, Moussa Diaby and Oumar Cisse — were arrested on April 25.
Authorities said they helped launder funds obtained from victims.
Because Côte d'Ivoire does not extradite its own citizens, all four suspects will be prosecuted under Ivorian cybercrime laws.
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