Latest news with #OumarouOuedraogo
CTV News
22-05-2025
- CTV News
Canadian victims tied to global sextortion ring, including minors
Ivorian nationals have been arrested in Cote d'Ivoire in connection with an international sextortion and money laundering scheme that involved Canadian victims, which U.S. authorities say led to the suicide of one American teen. According to a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) press release, the accused, Alfred Kassi, allegedly worked with several money laundering accomplices who helped Kassi move the money he received from victims. Authorities say the scheme targeted thousands of victims, including minors, throughout Canada, the U.S., U.K., France, Spain and Italy. Seventeen-year-old U.S. teen Ryan Last, who the DOJ alleges is one of Kassi's victims, allegedly committed suicide hours after being sextorted online by an individual pretending to a 20-year-old woman in February 2022. The DOJ says Last paid Kassi US$150 dollars to prevent his intimate images from being released. Kassi was arrested on April 29 by Ivorian law enforcement. The DOJ says at the time of arrest, the accused had the sextortion messages he sent to Last still on his phone. One of the alleged money launderers is Oumarou Ouedraogo, who was arrested by Ivorian law enforcement on April 25. Ivorian law enforcement also arrested two other individuals, Moussa Diaby and Oumar Cisse. Both Diaby and Cisse were part of Kassi's alleged sextortion network and admitted to their own sextortion crimes. 'The government of Cote d'Ivoire does not extradite its own citizens, so these defendants will be prosecuted in their own country under Ivorian cybercrime statutes,' the press release said.
CTV News
21-05-2025
- CTV News
Canadians among victims in global sextortion ring, U.S. officials say
Ivorian nationals have been arrested in Cote d'Ivoire in connection with an international sextortion and money laundering scheme that involved Canadian victims, which U.S. authorities say led to the suicide of one American teen. According to a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) press release, the accused, Alfred Kassi, allegedly worked with several money laundering accomplices who helped Kassi move the money he received from victims. Authorities say the scheme targeted thousands of victims, including minors, throughout Canada, the U.S., U.K., France, Spain and Italy. Seventeen-year-old U.S. teen Ryan Last, who the DOJ alleges is one of Kassi's victims, allegedly committed suicide hours after being sextorted online by an individual pretending to a 20-year-old woman in February 2022. The DOJ says Last paid Kassi US$150 dollars to prevent his intimate images from being released. Kassi was arrested on April 29 by Ivorian law enforcement. The DOJ says at the time of arrest, the accused had the sextortion messages he sent to Last still on his phone. One of the alleged money launderers is Oumarou Ouedraogo, who was arrested by Ivorian law enforcement on April 25. Ivorian law enforcement also arrested two other individuals, Moussa Diaby and Oumar Cisse. Both Diaby and Cisse were part of Kassi's alleged sextortion network and admitted to their own sextortion crimes. 'The government of Cote d'Ivoire does not extradite its own citizens, so these defendants will be prosecuted in their own country under Ivorian cybercrime statutes,' the press release said.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Yahoo
4 arrested in connection to San Jose teen's death, sextortion scheme
(KRON) — Four men in Côte d'Ivoire have been arrested on criminal charges relating to their roles in an international 'sextortion' scheme that targeted thousands of victims, including minors, throughout the United States and Europe, the U.S. Department of Justice said. Ryan Last, a 17-year-old high school senior from San Jose, killed himself just hours after being sextorted by a man who pretended to be a 20-year-old woman online. Last died in February 2022. Evidence led law enforcement to identify Alfred Kassi, an Ivorian citizen living in Côte d'Ivoire, as the man who allegedly conducted the sextortion. On April 29, Kassi was arrested by Ivorian law enforcement. At the time of his arrest, Kassi still had the sextortion messages on his phone that he sent to the 17-year-old San Jose boy three years ago, prosecutors said. Additionally, the investigation identified money laundering accomplices who helped Kassi move the money he received from Last. The boy had paid $150 in order to prevent his intimate images from being disseminated on the internet. One of the money launderers was Oumarou Ouedraogo, who was arrested by Ivorian law enforcement on April 25, prosecutors said. Two more men, identified as Moussa Diaby and Oumar Cisse, were part of Kassi's alleged sextortion network and admitted to their own sextortion crimes, according to prosecutors. A California-based accomplice, 28-year-old Jonathan Kassi, was convicted in 2023 in a California State Court and sentenced to 18 months in jail. Jonathan Kassi sexually exploited children online utilizing the username 'emillysmith' on social media apps. The FBI investigated the case with assistance from the San Jose Police Department, the U.S. Embassy in Abidjan, and Meta, which provided information that assisted with the identification of the offenders. The government of Côte d'Ivoire made the April arrests. Côte d'Ivoire does not extradite its own citizens, so the four men will be prosecuted in their own country, the U.S. Department of Justice said. Pauline Stuart, Last's mother, previously told KRON4 that her son had a good head on his shoulders. He was a member of the Future Farmers of America, and was ready to attend Washington State University, until a cyber scammer reached out to him. 'They probably spent four or five hours getting to know him, and then a couple hours of pressure. He couldn't handle the pressure and took his life rather than see his pictures posted on the internet,' Stuart said. The scammer demanded $5,000. Last sent a fraction, but it wasn't enough. Stuart had parental controls set up on her son's electronics. She urged parents, 'talk to your kids about what apps they are on and make them understand that not everybody that reaches out to them is who they say they are.' U.S. Department of Justice officials said if you or your child is being exploited via sextortion, contact your local FBI field office, or call 1-800-CALL-FBI. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
