Alexandre Silberman · CBC News
Ketiboua Kesse, 27, and Jean-Michel Gouin, 28, appeared in Moncton provincial court on Tuesday after facing multiple charges tied to an alleged online sextortion network. The two men now face a combined 21 criminal charges, including extortion, fraud, money laundering, and trafficking in funds obtained by crime. The charges stem from incidents where victims were allegedly threatened with the release of intimate images unless they paid large sums of money.
Initially facing only charges related to the possession of stolen property, both Kesse and Gouin had their charges updated after new evidence emerged. Crown prosecutor Guillaume Rigucci confirmed that 21 new charges would be filed in connection with the case. Gouin is accused of extorting at least a dozen individuals, including nine men and three women, between May 2022 and April 2023. In several cases, victims were coerced into paying amounts exceeding $5,000.
Kesse and Gouin are jointly charged with possessing property obtained by crime and engaging in money laundering. The charges followed an investigation triggered by a complaint from a Quebec man who had been blackmailed after intimate images of him were allegedly obtained without his consent. The victim was reportedly coerced into sending $1,000 to prevent the images from being made public.
Police in New Brunswick and Quebec worked together to uncover the scheme, leading to arrests on March 2, 2023. Investigators believe the pair were part of an organized criminal network targeting young individuals. After executing search warrants in Moncton and Dieppe, RCMP seized several electronic devices and identified multiple victims across Quebec.
The RCMP reported an alarming rise in sextortion cases in New Brunswick, with 66 incidents reported since the beginning of 2023. Police emphasize the seriousness of these crimes, which exploit vulnerable individuals by threatening to expose sensitive material unless a ransom is paid.
Both Kesse and Gouin are set to return to court on March 27 for plea hearings and to decide how their cases will proceed. In the meantime, police continue to investigate and warn the public about the growing issue of online sextortion scams targeting individuals across Canada.