Fla. Man Charged With Sextortion in Case Involving Lansing Teen
A Florida man is facing 'sextortion' charges for a case involving a 13-year-old Michigan girl and authorities fear there may be multiple victims.
What is Sextortion?
Sextortion typically involves a person - often a minor - sending explicit photos of themself to a stranger, with the stranger then threatening to leak the photos unless the sender meets his demands, usually money or sexual favors.
This case is different, however, as the victim was drawn into a conversation that was said to be sexually exploitative.
Federal Authorities Involved
Since the case involves victims in numerous states, federal authorities are involved, focusing on 21-year-old Brandon Le who they say contacted a 13-year-old Clinton-County girl on Snapchat. Le allegedly pulled the girl into a sexual conversation and took screenshots. The feds say he then threatened the girl that he would post the screenshots of the conversation with her name attached if she didn't send him sexually-explicit photos.
US Attorney Mark Totten tells Detroit's WXYZ-TV that this type of behavior is not uncommon.
"The rapid rise of sextortion across Michigan, across the United States is a deeply disturbing trend," Totten said.
Perpetrator May Have Used Other Names
Federal authorities are trying to track down additional victims who may live in other states. They say Le used multiple online handles to lure his victims. Here are the possible usernames that may have been used by Le:
- addityyt
- tyaddinude
- tyaddibaby
- tycroneaddi
- tygrazittenudef
Anyone with information or anyone who may have been a victim is asked to contact the US Attorney's office.