A 19-year-old Burnaby man faces 23 charges in connection with the alleged sextortion of multiple teens in Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario.
Police launched a cross-country investigation after several victims in those provinces reported they were being extorted online after sharing explicit images with someone they met online, according to a Burnaby RCMP news release Tuesday.
"The suspect then allegedly demanded money under threat of sending images to the victims' social networks," stated the release.
Burnaby RCMP began investigating in December 2022 after a Burnaby teen was identified as the suspect, according to the release.
Officers executed a search warrant at a Burnaby home on Jan. 26, 2023.
On July 11, Anwer Jelassi was charged with 23 offences, including extortion, luring a child, possession of child pornography, making or publishing child pornography, voyeurism, publishing intimate images without consent and invitation to sexual touching.
The majority of charges relate to victims between the ages of 15 and 18 who reported incidents to police in their jurisdiction, according to the release.
"Online sexual extortion is a crime that has had tragic outcomes," Burnaby RCMP Cpl. Gagné said in the release. "We want to remind victims that they are not alone and that we are here to help them and hold offenders to account. If you have been victimized by this type of crime, please report it to police."
Burnaby RCMP said sextortion cases are on the rise in Burnaby and across Canada, but they are believed to be widely unreported.
Sextortion victims can report incidents to their local police or through Cybertip.ca.
For more resources on keeping kids safe online, Burnaby RCMP urges families to visit Cybertip.ca.
Follow Cornelia Naylor on X/Twitter @CorNaylor
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