Four men arrested after suicide death of high school 'sextortion' victim

Four men person been arrested aft a California teen died by termination hours aft helium became the people of an planetary ‘sextortion’ scheme.

Ryan Last, 17, sent intimate photos of himself to idiosyncratic helium thought was a 20-year-old pistillate - but turned retired to beryllium portion of a blackmail pack successful West Africa.

The straight-A high schoolhouse senior, fearing the photos would beryllium leaked onto the internet, tragically took his ain beingness soon aft the scammers demanded money to support the images private.

Authorities revealed connected May 9 that ‘thousands’ of victims successful the U.S., Canada and Europe - including minors - had been targeted by the group.

Last was a pupil astatine Ann Sobrato High School successful Morgan Hill, 22 miles southbound of San Jose.

His decease successful February 2022 sparked an probe which has led to the apprehension of ringleader Alfred Kassi who lives successful the Ivory Coast, besides known arsenic Côte d’Ivoire.

Kassi was arrested connected April 29 - erstwhile it was discovered that, years later, helium inactive had the menacing messages helium sent to Last connected his phone. Three different men were besides arrested.

The probe was led by the San Jose Police Department, the FBI with assistance from Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta.

A May 9 connection by the Department of Justice read: ‘Through a lengthy, coordinated probe involving U.S. and Ivorian instrumentality enforcement, the grounds yet led instrumentality enforcement to place Alfred Kassi, an Ivorian national surviving successful Côte d’Ivoire, arsenic the idiosyncratic allegedly conducting the sextortion.

‘On April 29, Kassi was arrested by Ivorian instrumentality enforcement.

‘At the clip of his arrest, Kassi allegedly inactive had the sextortion messages helium sent to the 17-year-old unfortunate successful February 2022 connected his phone.’

Three of Kassi’s alleged accomplices were besides arrested. Oumarou Ouedraogo was picked up for wealth laundering and 2 others, Moussa Diaby and Oumar Cisse, were arrested for ‘sextortion crimes.’

Another accomplice, Jonathan Kassi - unrelated to Alfred Kassi - was convicted successful a California tribunal successful 2023 and sentenced to 18 months successful jail.

According to the DoJ, ‘The authorities of Côte d’Ivoire does not extradite its ain citizens, truthful these defendants volition beryllium prosecuted successful their ain state nether Ivorian cybercrime statutes.’

Last’s mother, Pauline Stuart, antecedently said successful a video posted by the San Jose Police Department, that the pack ‘catfished my lad and gained his spot done flirting and showing interest.’

She described her beloved lad arsenic a trusting idiosyncratic who had been looking guardant to attending Washington State University.

‘People tin unreal to beryllium anyone,’ added Stuart. ‘The information that helium was told that they would nonstop retired oregon station the pictures connected societal media had a devastating effect connected Ryan.

‘He chose to extremity his life, alternatively than person the pictures distributed connected societal media. He believed his estimation would beryllium destroyed and helium was terrified of what his friends and household would think.’

In a enactment written earlier his death, Last apologized for ‘not being smarter.’

Stuart antecedently told ABC7 following the latest arrests: ‘To him, helium wasn't astute due to the fact that helium fell for this scam.

‘He believed successful idiosyncratic and that devastates maine that helium felt that helium wasn't astute due to the fact that idiosyncratic took vantage of him.’

The scammers instantly demanded $5,000 from Last aft helium sent them an intimate photograph of himself which they reduced to $150. He paid them the magnitude from his assemblage money but the pack demanded much money.

She said: 'Somebody reached retired to him pretending to beryllium a girl, and they started a conversation.'

Stuart besides antecedently commented to CNN: 'He really, genuinely thought successful that clip that determination wasn't a mode to get by if those pictures were really posted online.

‘His enactment showed helium was perfectly terrified. No kid should person to beryllium that scared.

'They kept demanding much and much and putting tons of continued unit connected him.’

His household didn’t cognize thing astir the extortion until aft Last’s passing.

'How could these radical look astatine themselves successful the reflector knowing that $150 is much important than a child's life,’ she told CNN.

'There's nary different connection but 'evil' for maine that they attraction overmuch much astir wealth than a child's life,' she added. 'I don't privation anybody other to spell done what we did.'

Last’s begetter besides antecedently commented connected Facebook: 'We thought we did everything correctly protecting our boys from immoderate online threats.

‘But Ryan inactive became the unfortunate of an online scam that ended with blackmail. In the extremity helium got truthful embarrassed and frightened that helium lone saw 1 mode out.

'We privation to assistance to marque definite that this volition not hap to immoderate different family. And the champion mode to bash that is to assistance amended parents and children astir what dangers beryllium connected the internet.'

The FBI says sextortion schemes are connected the rise. According to their Internet Crime Complaint Center, determination were implicit 54,000 victims successful 2024, up from 34,000 successful 2023.