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A Nigerian man has been extradited to the U.S. after being indicted for allegedly operating a sextortion scheme that led to a South Carolina teenager’s death.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina said in a press release that 24-year-old Hassanbunhussein Abolore Lawal of Osun State, Nigeria, has been indicted on charges of: child exploitation resulting in death; the production and distribution of child sexual abuse material; coercion and enticement of a minor; cyberstalking resulting in death; interstate threats with intent to extort; and aiding and abetting.
The charges stem from an investigation into the death of 17-year-old Gavin Guffey of Rock Hill, South Carolina, who died by suicide in July 2022 after falling victim to Lawal’s alleged scheme.
Brandon Guffey, right, has been exposing the dangers of sextortion after his son, Gavin, second from right, died by suicide last year. (Brandon Guffey)
Lawal, the attorney’s office said, posed as a young woman on social media and convinced the teen to send compromising photos. After the teenager sent the photos, Lawal is accused of sending harassing messages to him, threatening to leak the photos and ruin his reputation unless the teen sent him money.
Lawal is accused of later doing the same to members of Guffey’s family.
“We will not allow predators who target our children to hide behind a keyboard or across the ocean. Today we honor Gavin’s life and continue our fight against sextortion by holding this defendant accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Adair Ford Boroughs for the District of South Carolina. “This investigation and extradition are the result of tremendous law enforcement coordination both in the United States and Nigeria.”
The boy’s father, South Carolina Republican state Rep. Brandon Guffey, told Fox News Digital last year that his son and the perpetrator began chatting on Instagram, the social media app owned by Facebook’s parent company, Meta.
The number of reports involving sextortion tips to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children more than doubled between 2019 and 2021. In 2022, 79% of offenders were seeking money from victims. (Brandon Guffey)
That person convinced Gavin to turn on “vanish mode” in their Instagram chat, which allows messages to disappear after they are received.
“And then they shared photos,” Guffey told Fox News Digital.
After exchanging photos, that person demanded money from Gavin. He replied that he only had $25 in his account, which Guffey said was not true, and sent $25. The scammer demanded more.
“And he even said that I’m sitting in my room with a gun. If these pictures go out, I’m going to end it right now,” the state lawmaker explained. “I don’t know if any of the pictures were shared.”
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Gavin Guffey, 17, died by suicide in 2022 after becoming the victim of a sextortion plot on Instagram. (Brandon Guffey)
Gavin, who had just graduated from high school that spring and had a passion for art and music, shot himself that evening.
After his death, the scammer he met on Instagram tracked down Brandon Guffey and Gavin’s teenage cousin on Instagram and began demanding money from them.
“This indictment represents the culmination of countless hours of dedicated work done by our investigators both here and abroad,” said Steve Jensen, special agent in charge of the FBI Columbia Field Office. “The defendant’s alleged actions are reprehensible resulting in the tragic loss of a young man’s life. We remain steadfast in our commitment to holding criminals accountable, especially those who target our children and endanger their lives, no matter where they are.”
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If convicted, Lawal faces up to life in prison. The charge of child exploitation resulting in death carries a mandatory sentence of 30 years in prison.
Lawal could also face mandatory restitution in which the court may order him to pay for losses incurred by the family as a result of his alleged scheme.
Fox News Digital’s Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.