*A Los Angeles man has been arrested in connection with the “sextortion” suicide of a 17-year-old male earlier this year.
Jonathan Kassi, 25, of Reseda was transferred from Los Angeles on Thursday (Dec. 15) to Northern California and “booked for extortion and attempted disorderly conduct – posting of a photograph or recording without consent,” San Jose police said, CNN reports.
Kassi is accused of posing as a teen girl online and convincing 17-year-old Ryan Last to share an explicit photo. Kassi then threatened to send the image to Last’s family and friends unless he paid $5,000. Some reports claim that once the teen paid, Kasi allegedly demanded more money.
According to authorities, immediately after Ryan shared an intimate photo, he panicked after Kassi threatened to release it and took his own life hours after sending the image, according to CNN.
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Jonathan Kassi arrested w/help by @LAPDHQ for allegedly sextorting 17yo boy for photos, leading to his suicide, per @SanJosePD, searching for any other victims who responded to user names “emillysmith” & “kassijonathan” pic.twitter.com/cohG6LDe35
— Henry K. Lee (@henrykleeKTVU) December 19, 2022
“I am truly disgusted that there are people that can do this to kids, but I am also grateful for all the work that law enforcement has done on this case,” Ryan’s mother, Pauline Stuart, told CNN Monday. “They truly care what happens and have worked hard investigating. I believe that to continue to fight these type of scams we need to educate parents and kids alike.”
Last took his own life over the sextortion plot a few days before his 18th birthday. Investigators working on his suicide case were able to track down Kassi through his online activity.
The San Jose Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force believes Kasi, who allegedly worked with an unnamed co-conspirator to plot on Last, is part of an organization of financial sextortionists based in West Africa that targets children online.
“Detectives believe there could be additional victims due to the suspect’s criminal pattern and use of social media to target minors,” the San Jose police said
“Any time you do anything online, there’s a trail,” said Christian Camarillo of the San Jose Police Department, who believes there could be more victims of Kasi, Complex reports. “Our detectives are very good at what they do. That trail led us to this person who we located in Los Angeles and today he’s getting arraigned in our courts.”
Last’s mother said more families and kids need to be educated about online sextortion, which the FBI describes as “a serious crime that occurs when someone threatens to distribute your private and sensitive material if you don’t provide them images of a sexual nature, sexual favors, or money.”
“It’s amazing to know they worked really hard and were able to get somebody,” said Stuart. “There’s still a lot of work that needs to be done in educating families and kids.”
“As many children enter winter break this holiday season, the FBI and our partners implore parents and caregivers to engage with their kids about financial sextortion schemes so we can prevent them in the first place,” the FBI said Monday.
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