BURNABY, B.C.: A 19-year-old Burnaby man has been charged in relation to the alleged online sextortion of multiple teenage victims after a cross-country investigation led by Burnaby RCMP’s Child Abuse and Sexual Offences (CASO) Unit, B.C. RCMP say in a release.
The investigation began after several victims located in Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario reported to police that they were being extorted online after sharing explicit images with someone they met on social media platforms.
Cpl. Laura Hirst said the suspect then allegedly demanded money under threat of sending images to the victims’ social networks.
A Burnaby resident was identified as the suspect, and Burnaby RCMP’s CASO Unit began investigating in December 2022.
Cpl. Hirst said on January 26, 2023 a search warrant was executed at a home in Burnaby.
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On July 11, 2024, Anwer Jelassi of Burnaby was charged with 23 offences including:
Nine counts of extortion;
Three counts of telecommunicate to lure child under 18;
One count of telecommunicate to lure child under 16;
Two counts of Possessing child pornography;
One count of making or publishing child pornography;
One count of importing/distributing child pornography;
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 observe/record nudity or sexual activity; and
Two counts of breach of undertaking.
Jelassi is subject of a number of court-ordered conditions, including not to contact any victims, not to have contact with anyone under the age of 16, and not to access social networking or dating sites, including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Bumble, and Tinder.
Anyone with information to indicate Jelassi is breaching his conditions is asked to call Burnaby RCMP at 604-646-9999 and quote file 22-18157.
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The majority of charges relate to victims between the ages of 15 and 18 who reported incidents to police in their jurisdictions. Their identities are protected by a publication ban.
“We would really like to commend these victims for coming forward and reporting these incidents to police”,
said Cpl. Max Gagné with Burnaby RCMP’s CASO unit.
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Their bravery in stepping forward and telling someone has allowed us to advance this investigation, which has now resulted in criminal charges.“
Burnaby RCMP would like to thank the law enforcement partners who assisted in the investigation, including the BC Integrated Child Exploitation Team (ICE).
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There continues to be an increase in sextortion cases in Burnaby and across Canada, though they are believed to be widely unreported.
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Online sexual extortion is a crime that has had tragic outcomes,” said Cpl. Gagné. “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.
For additional resources on keeping kids safe online, Burnaby RCMP encourages families to visit Cybertip.ca.
Sextortion victims can report incidents to their local police or through Cybertip.ca.
