SAN JOSE — Four men in Côte d’Ivoire have been arrested in connection with a sexual extortion, or “sextortion,” scheme that targeted thousands of victims around the globe, including a San Jose teenager who ended up taking his life, according to authorities.
Related Articles
CHP: Pregnant San Jose woman dies after I-280 crash
Theranos felon Elizabeth Holmes loses again in court, options for early freedom narrow
Car valued at $80,000 stolen from Saratoga residence
South Bay hospital accused of ignoring manager’s alleged San Jose steakhouse sex attack on nurse
Will San Jose get a new police unit to arrest homeless residents who refuse shelter?
Alfred Kassi, an Ivorian citizen, was identified as the primary suspect following a lengthy investigation by U.S. and Ivorian law enforcement, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release Friday.
Three of his accomplices were identified as Oumarou Ouedraogo, Moussa Diaby and Oumar Cisse.
Ryan Last, a 17-year-old senior at Sobrato High School, died by suicide at his South San Jose home on Feb. 26, 2022.
An investigation revealed the teen had corresponded online with an individual pretending to be a 20-year-old woman, later identified by authorities as Kassi. The conversation reportedly turned intimate and the two exchanged sexually revealing photos.
Ryan was then told he had to pay the other person $5,000 or else his photo would be revealed publicly. After the teen said he could not afford to pay that much, the amount was lowered to $150. He paid the smaller sum, but the monetary demands continued.
When Kassi was arrested on April 29, he allegedly had the messages he sent to the teen on his phone.
Authorities said Ouedraogo helped Kassi launder the money he received from the victim.
Diaby and Cisse, meanwhile, were part of Kassi’s alleged sexual extortion network and admitted to their own sexual extortion crimes, according to authorities.
In September 2023, another accomplice based in the United States, Jonathan Kassi, was sentenced to time served and supervised release after he admitted to one count of felony extortion of the teen. Jonathan Kassi is not related to Alfred Kassi.
The government of Côte d’Ivorie does not extradite its citizens, so Alfred Kassi, Ouedraogo, Diaby and Cisse will be prosecuted in their own country under Ivorian cybercrime statutes.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case with help from the San Jose Police Department, the U.S. embassy in Abidjan and Meta, according to authorities.
Victims of sexual extortion or anyone who knows a victim of sexual extortion can contact the FBI at 800-225-5324 or file a report with the Internet Crime Center at www.ic3.gov.