The ‘sextortionist’ who allegedly posed as a teenage girl and drove a 17-year-old boy to suicide after threatening to post explicit photos of him was eventually arrested.
Ryan Last, a real college student from San Jose, died by suicide in February when he couldn’t afford more than $5,000 to Jonathan Kassi, 25, who is suspected of impersonating a girl who shared nude photos with Last before he caught the unsuspecting boy blackmailed.
The case became national news when Last’s mother, Pauline, appeared on Dr. Phil appeared urging parents to be wary of predators targeting children online.
Kassi was detained Thursday in Van Nuys, California, north of Los Angeles, and was arraigned Monday on charges of racketeering and attempted disorderly conduct by posting photos or recordings without permission. reported KTVU.
The San Jose Police Internet Crimes Against Children said the Kassi was connected to a much larger West African “sextorition” syndicate and had used multiple usernames to prey on teens on social media.
Jonathan Kassi (above), 25, was arrested for allegedly posing as a teenage girl online and sharing explicit photos with Ryan Last, 17, before demanding $5,000 lest he share the boy’s photos with his friends and family
Last (pictured), of San Jose, California, took his own life in February. The case became a symbol for the rise of ‘sextortionists’ targeting children, especially teenage boys
Kassi appeared in Santa Clara County Superior Court Monday (above) where he was charged with racketeering and attempted disorderly conduct by posting photos or recordings without permission. His bail was set at $250,000
Last’s mother, Pauline (right), has since become an advocate to raise awareness of “sextortion” scams targeting teens. Her heartbreaking appearance on Dr. Phil earlier this year brought the topic into the national spotlight
According to Last’s family and investigators, Kassi had sent the teen a nude photo they claimed was their own, then asked him to return one.
Immediately after the scammer tricked Last into sending an intimate photo of himself, he demanded $5,000 from the teen or they would share the photo of him online.
When the 17-year-old told the criminal he couldn’t pay the full amount, Kassi reportedly asked for $150, which he was supposed to take from his savings.
But investigators said Kassi continued to harass Last for more money and pushed him to take his own life after threatening to share the explicit photo of him with family and friends.
Last took his own life at his childhood home just days before his 18th birthday, leaving behind a suicide note explaining what had happened.
Pauline, who has since become an advocate against “sextortion” scams targeting teens, said her family was unaware of what was happening because, like many victims of these scams, her son felt too embarrassed to seek help .
“We really never thought that something like this could affect us, reach family,” Pauline told reporters on Monday. “It just shows how easy it is.”
She added that she was pleased that detectives were able to track down the man believed to be responsible for her son’s death.
“It’s great to know they worked really hard and were able to find someone,” said Stuart. “There is still a lot of work to be done to educate families and children.”
Kassi’s bail was set at $250,000, which was less than the $1 million Last’s family had requested.
The high school senior and boy scout had finished attending colleges when he was approached by a con man pretending to be a girl. After paying the ‘sextortionist’ $150 not to share explicit photos of the teen online, the criminal demanded more and more
Pauline, pictured with Last, said her family is heartbroken, but she is grateful to police for finally tracking down the man allegedly responsible for her son’s death
The bereaved mother first shared details of her son’s death earlier this year after finding out what happened when she read his suicide note.
She said, “Someone contacted him pretending to be a girl, and they struck up a conversation”
“He really, really thought at the time that there was no way he could make ends meet if those photos were actually posted online,” Pauline told CNN. “His note showed that he was terrified. No child should be so afraid.’
“They kept demanding more and kept putting a lot of pressure on him,” Paul said, adding that the family only learned what happened after Last’s suicide and a police investigation.
“How could these people look at themselves in the mirror knowing that $150 is more important than a child’s life?
“There is no word for me other than ‘bad’ that they care much more about money than a child’s life,” she added. “I don’t want anyone else to go through what we did.”
In the photo: Last (second from right) traveling with family
Following Kassi’s indictment in court, the FBI issued another nationwide alert about the spike in “sextortion” scams targeting youth, with at least 3,000 children, mostly teenage boys, reported as the latest victims this year.
Most of the victims turned out to be between 14 and 17 years old, but some of them were children as young as 10 years old.
The cases have also been linked to more than a dozen suicides, most even the Justice Department has seen related to these crimes.
Victims tend to remain silent out of embarrassment and embarrassment, making them feel there is no way out of the cycle of blackmail threats.
“Victims may feel like there is no way out — it is up to all of us to reassure them that they are not in trouble, that there is hope and that they are not alone,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement. statement.
Dan Costin, FBI supervising special agent who leads a team to counter crimes against children, told CNN earlier this year that American boys are being targeted by scammers from Africa and Southeast Asia.
While the FBI is working with law enforcement around the world to track down these “sextortionists,” Costin said there could be many more cases the agencies don’t know about since victims don’t always report the crime.
“The embarrassing part of this is probably one of the bigger hurdles the victims have to overcome,” Costin told CNN. “It can be a lot, especially at that moment.”