ARTICLE AD BOX
Three years after the heartbreaking suicide of a California teenager, authorities have arrested four men in West Africa in connection with an international financial sextortion scheme that targeted thousands of minors around the world.
The DOJ announced Friday that Alfred Kassi, Oumarou Ouedraogo, Moussa Diaby, and Oumar Cisse — all from Côte d’Ivoire — were arrested last month by Ivorian law enforcement.
Due to Côte d'Ivoire's laws against extraditing its citizens, the suspects will face cybercrime charges in their own country.
The arrests come after 17-year-old Ryan Last died by suicide in February 2022 when he was being deceived online by someone he thought was a 20-year-old woman.
The person threatened to post intimate photos of the teenager unless he paid her $5,000. When Last said he could not afford that, the payment was reduced to $150.
Last paid the $150, but more payment demands followed.
Upon his death, his mother, Pauline Stuart, revealed that Last’s suicide note expressed regret for not realizing he was being deceived.
“We’re feeling grateful that [law enforcement officials] didn’t give up and they continued to work,” Pauline Stuart, Last’s mom, said about the recent arrests, according to the L.A. Times. “Unfortunately it will never bring Ryan back. It’s one of those double-edged swords. My son’s still gone, but I’m hoping that, with this arrest, it brings awareness and scares the scammers, because they kind of feel safe over in a foreign country. They don’t think they can be touched.”
After a lengthy investigation between US and Ivorian law enforcement agencies, Kassi was identified as the person allegedly conducting the sextortion. When arrested, Kassi allegedly still had the sextortion messages between him and Last on his phone.
Ouedraogo, Diaby, and Cisse, were arrested for their roles in laundering the illicit proceeds.
Diaby and Cisse, identified as members of Kassi’s alleged sextortion network, have confessed to their own involvement in similar crimes.
Meanwhile, a US.-based associate, Jonathan Kassi (unrelated to Alfred Kassi), was convicted in a California State Court in 2023 and received an 18-month jail sentence.
Financial sextortion is different from traditional sextortion. According to the FBI, financial sextortion involves offenders coercing children into sending explicit material, then threatening to release it unless paid.
With traditional sextortion, offenders often use explicit content to pressure victims into producing more, trapping them in a cycle of fear and shame that can prevent them from seeking help.
Authorities urge anyone who may be a victim of a sextortion scam to contact their local FBI field office, call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), or visit the Internet Crime Complaint Center.
If you or someone you know is in distress, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 at 988 or by visiting 988lifeline.org.
English (US) ·