3 Aurora teens arrested in connection to sextortion ring targeting students
Courtesy of the Aurora Police Department
Three teens have been arrested by the Aurora Police Department following a nearly year-long investigation into a “sextortion” ring that targeted students at local schools.
The Aurora Police Department Internet Crimes Against Children Unit arrested 18-year-old Jamir Deante Bright Friday on charges of child exploitation and criminal extortion, both felonies. A 17-year-old and a 14-year-old, who both reside in Denver, were also arrested, according to a news release from the police department.
The juveniles face charges in Aurora Municipal Court and will not be identified due to their ages.
The arrests come nearly a year after an investigation opened in January after Aurora Police Department School Resource Officers received “numerous” reports of sextortion targeting students at several local schools, according to the release.
Sextortion is a form of exploitation where children are blackmailed through the threat of publishing an explicit image online. The extortion can also involve sharing sexually explicit images with others in exchange for money. The investigation determined victims were targeted with both types of sextortion in this case, police said.
Aurora police detectives, Homeland Security Investigations, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the Denver District Attorney’s Office completed the investigation through residential search warrants and multiple courts orders and subpoenas for online records. Cellphones and social media accounts were also searched to identify the three suspects, according to police.
Bright faces charges in the Arapahoe District Court and is out of custody on a $10,000 bond. He is due in court for a preliminary hearing on Jan. 10, where prosecutors will present evidence to a judge who will determine if it’s enough to send the case to trial.
3 Aurora teens arrested in connection to sextortion ring targeting students
Jamir Deante Bright, 18, was arrested on Friday, along with two juveniles.
Three teens have been arrested by the Aurora Police Department following a nearly year-long investigation into a “sextortion” ring that targeted students at local schools.
The Aurora Police Department Internet Crimes Against Children Unit arrested 18-year-old Jamir Deante Bright Friday on charges of child exploitation and criminal extortion, both felonies. A 17-year-old and a 14-year-old, who both reside in Denver, were also arrested, according to a news release from the police department.
The juveniles face charges in Aurora Municipal Court and will not be identified due to their ages.
The arrests come nearly a year after an investigation opened in January after Aurora Police Department School Resource Officers received “numerous” reports of sextortion targeting students at several local schools, according to the release.
Sextortion is a form of exploitation where children are blackmailed through the threat of publishing an explicit image online. The extortion can also involve sharing sexually explicit images with others in exchange for money. The investigation determined victims were targeted with both types of sextortion in this case, police said.
Aurora police detectives, Homeland Security Investigations, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the Denver District Attorney’s Office completed the investigation through residential search warrants and multiple courts orders and subpoenas for online records. Cellphones and social media accounts were also searched to identify the three suspects, according to police.
Bright faces charges in the Arapahoe District Court and is out of custody on a $10,000 bond. He is due in court for a preliminary hearing on Jan. 10, where prosecutors will present evidence to a judge who will determine if it’s enough to send the case to trial.