ABIDJAN, Côte d’Ivoire (CHATNEWSTV) — Four men in Côte d’Ivoire have been arrested in connection with an international “sextortion” and money laundering ring that led to the suicide of a 17-year-old California high school student, U.S. and Ivorian authorities announced Friday.
The arrests follow a coordinated investigation into a scheme that targeted thousands of victims — including minors — across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, and Italy.
In one of the most tragic cases, Ryan Last, a high school senior from San Jose, California, took his own life in February 2022 just hours after being blackmailed online by someone posing as a 20-year-old woman. Authorities say the digital trail led to Alfred Kassi, an Ivorian national arrested on April 29, who allegedly still had the extortion messages on his phone at the time of arrest.
“The evidence led us directly to those responsible,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, head of the U.S. Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This is a stark reminder of the real-world consequences of online exploitation.”
Three other men — Oumarou Ouedraogo, Moussa Diaby, and Oumar Cisse — were also taken into custody by Ivorian law enforcement. Investigators allege that Ouedraogo helped launder money obtained from victims, including the $150 paid by Last in a desperate attempt to prevent the release of intimate images. Diaby and Cisse admitted to their own roles in the sextortion ring, authorities said.
Jonathan Kassi, a U.S.-based accomplice unrelated to Alfred Kassi, was previously convicted in a California court in 2023 and sentenced to 18 months in jail.
Because Côte d’Ivoire does not extradite its nationals, the accused will be prosecuted domestically under Ivorian cybercrime laws, officials confirmed.
The investigation was led by the FBI, with assistance from the San Jose Police Department, the U.S. Embassy in Abidjan, and tech giant Meta, which provided critical information that helped identify the perpetrators. Arrests in Côte d’Ivoire were carried out by the country’s Anti-Terrorist Operational Intelligence Center (CROAT).
“This case shows the power of international cooperation in protecting vulnerable communities,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick D. Robbins for the Northern District of California.
