"Sextortion" scam linked to Bay Area teen's suicide leads to 4 arrests in Ivory Coast
The U.S. Department of Justice announced that four men in the Ivory Coast were arrested in connection with an international "sextortion" scheme that targeted minors, including a 17-year-old from the San Francisco Bay Area who died by suicide.
According to DOJ officials, Alfred Kassi, Oumarou Ouedraogo, Moussa Diaby and Oumar Cisse were arrested last month in the West African country, also known as Côte d'Ivoire. The men will be tried in their own country, as the government there does not extradite its own citizens.
The arrests stemmed from an investigation into the Feb. 2022 death of Ryan Last, a high school senior from San Jose. Justice Department officials said Last killed himself after being extorted online by a person pretending to be a 20-year-old woman who threatened to expose explicit photos of the teen.
"They, in other words catfished my son and gained his trust through flirting and showing interest," Pauline Stuart, the teen's mother, said in a 2022 video posted by the San Jose Police Department.
Stuart said that her son was a trusting person and that he had been looking forward to attending Washington State University that fall.
"People can pretend to be anyone. The fact that he was told that they would send out or post the pictures on social media had a devastating effect on Ryan. He chose to end his life, rather than have the pictures distributed on social media. He believed his reputation would be destroyed and he was terrified of what his friends and family would think," she went on to say.
Kassi was arrested by police in the Ivory Coast on April 29. Officials said Kassi allegedly had the messages sent to the 17-year-old on his phone at the time of his arrest.
Ouedraogo is suspected of laundering $150 Kassi received from the victim. Meanwhile, Diaby and Cisse were also allegedly part of Kassi's alleged sextortion network.
The Justice Department said a U.S.-based accomplice, Jonathan Kassi (not related to Alfred Kassi) was convicted in California in 2023 and was sentenced to 18 months in jail.
Officials urged 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 to visit the Internet Crime Complaint Center.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or a suicidal crisis, you can reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. You can also chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline here.
For more information about mental health care resources and support, The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) HelpLine can be reached Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.–10 p.m. ET, at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email [email protected].
