B.C. man charged with 23 counts in cross-Canada online sextortion

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.

23 offences

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.

Scourge of sextortion

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.

The Canadian Centre for Child Protection (C3P) says the way social media sites are designed, monitored and commercialized are contributing to a rise in the crime.

"Our response to online safety cannot be to only act when a crime has been committed. The goal has to be to detect and limit the now very well-understood and predictable dangers children face in digital spaces," said Lianna McDonald, executive director for C3P, in late July.

C3P is asking for urgency from federal lawmakers around an Online Harms Bill. It aims to reduce exposure to harmful content online, including the sexual victimization of children, sharing intimate content without permission and content that promotes hatred, violence or extremism.

In January, B.C. became the ninth province in Canada to enact an Intimate Images Protection Act (IIPA). It provides a path for victims to have online photos, videos or deep fakes expeditiously removed and even to be compensated for the sexualized violence.

Police agreed that there is an increase in sextortion cases in cities like Burnaby and across the country, "though they are believed to be widely unreported," said RCMP.

"We want to remind victims that they are not alone and that we are here to help them and hold offenders to account," said Gagné. " If you have been victimized by this type of crime, please report it to police."

Canadian sextortion victims can report incidents to their local police or through Cybertip.ca.

For anyone who has been sexually assaulted, there is support available through crisis lines and local support services via the Ending Violence Association of Canada database. ​​If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.