B.C. man charged with 23 counts in cross-Canada online sextortion
CBC
WARNING: This article contains details of abuse.
The Burnaby RCMP is commending victims of alleged online sextortion, saying their coming forward and making reports from different provinces has resulted in nearly two dozen charges against a 19-year-old Burnaby, B.C., resident.
"Their bravery in stepping forward and telling someone has allowed us to advance this investigation, which has now resulted in criminal charges," said Cpl. Max Gagné with Burnaby RCMP's Child Abuse and Sexual Offences (CASO) unit in a statement on Tuesday.
Police announced the charges against Anwer Jelassi nearly two years after they began investigating the Burnaby resident.
In 2022, victims aged 15 to 18 began reporting instances of being extorted online after sharing explicit images with someone they met on social media platforms. The victims were from Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario.
Investigators said the victims told local police forces the suspect demanded they pay money or he would send the images to their social networks.
The investigation began to focus on a Burnaby resident, and in December 2022, Burnaby RCMP led a cross-country probe that included the B.C. Integrated Child Exploitation Team (ICE).
In January 2023, investigators executed a search warrant at a Burnaby home, and on July 11 of this year, Jelassi was charged with 23 offences, including extortion, luring and making, possessing, and distributing child pornography.
There is a publication ban on his case to protect the identities of the victims. Police have not said when Jelassi is next in court.
Jelassi must abide by a number of court-ordered conditions.
They include no contact with any victims and anyone under 16. He is not to access social networking or dating sites, including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Bumble, and Tinder.
Burnaby RCMP are asking that anyone with information that Jelassi is breaching his conditions call 604-646-9999 and quote file 22-18157.
Extortion, a crime that includes online sextortion, continues to rise in Canada. There have been numerous accounts of children taking their own lives after falling prey.
According to Statistics Canada, extortion incidents have risen five-fold since 2013, when seven incidents were reported per 100,000 people per year. In 2023, 35 incidents were reported per 100,000 population. It says almost half of all incidents of extortion in 2023 (49%) were reported as cybercrimes.
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