A 19-year-old B.C. man is facing 23 charges after a cross-country sextortion investigation involving teenagers in Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario.
Anwer Jelassi, of Burnaby, was charged with the 23 offences on July 11, according to a release from Burnaby RCMP Tuesday (Aug. 13).
He is facing nine counts of extortion; three counts of telecommunicate to lure a child under 18; one count of telecommunicate to lure a child under 16; two counts of possessing child pornography; one count of making or publishing child porn; one count of importing or distributing child porn; two counts of inviting, counselling or inciting a young person to touch the body of any person for a sexual purpose; one count of publication of intimate images without consent; one count of secretly observing or recording nudity or sexual activity and two counts of breach of undertaking.
The majority of his charges relate to victims between the ages of 15 and 18, who reported the incidents to police in their jurisdictions.
Police say Jelassi is subject to a number of court-ordered conditions, including not contacting any of his victims or anyone under the age of 16. He also cannot have access to social media or dating sites, including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Bumble or Tinder.
Police say the investigation began after several victims in Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario reported to police that they were being extorted online after sharing explicit images with someone they'd met on social media platforms. The suspect allegedly demanded money under the threat of sending the images to the victims' social networks.
A Burnaby resident was identified as the suspect.
Burnaby RCMP's child abuse and sexual offences unit led the investigation after beginning an investigation in December 2022. On Jan. 26, 2023, a search was done on a home in Burnaby.
Burnaby RCMP's Cpl. Max Gagne online sexual extortion is a crime that has had tragic outcomes.
"We would really like to commend these victims for coming forward and reporting these incidents to police. Their bravery in stepping forward and telling someone has allowed us to advance this investigation, which has now resulted in criminal charges."
