Middle school student arrested in sextortion case, with hundreds of potential victims

STONY POINT, NY – A middle school student in New York was arrested and charged in a sextortion scheme of fellow classmates that may have involved hundreds of victims, authorities said.

The student at Fieldstone Middle School in Stony Point in the New York City metropolitan area was accused of extorting classmates under the age of 16 using explicit material to get gift cards or more explicit content. Six victims were commended for their bravery in speaking up, but police said they have reason to believe there could be “potentially several hundred additional victims who may not yet have reported their experiences.”

Fieldstone Middle School in the North Rockland School District has about 1,300 students in seventh and eighth grades, according to the Rockland/Westchester Journal News, part of the USA TODAY Network.

The accused student, whose name or age was not released, was arrested on three felony charges: use of a child in a sexual performance, promoting a sexual performance by a child and possessing a sexual performance by a child. The Stony Point Police Department said in a news release that its investigation began in February. The charges were announced Sept. 17.

“This case highlights both the serious dangers our children face online and the extraordinary bravery of students who came forward,” police said in a statement.

What happened in middle school sextortion case?

An investigation was launched after students at Fieldstone Middle School reported to their school resource officer and school administrators that they were being coerced online.

Stony Point Lt. Daniel Schoales said the victims and the suspect are all under the age of 16.

Officials said the victims would be contacted for explicit pictures and videos via social media. Then they would be told to send gift cards, usually at a value of less than $100, or more explicit content under threat that the material would be released.

Officials said the victims who have come forward are boys, but they don’t know if girls could be involved. The victims said they believed they were talking to a girl.

Police added they didn’t know if there were victims beyond the school district, but they said it was possible that there were victims in other districts, other states and even other countries.

What is sextortion?

Sextortion generally involves threats to publicly release explicit sexual information about a person as a way to extort money or further explicit content from them. Youth are especially vulnerable to these schemes, particularly on social media, experts say.

“This crime is extremely serious and involves the victimization of students within our community,” Stony Point police said. “Police officials stress that sextortion is not only a local issue, but a global problem fueled by social media. Many parents may be unaware of the extent of these dangers.”

Financial online sextortion crimes have surged in recent years with at least 13,000 incidents targeting minors reported in the United States between October 2021 and March 2023, according to the FBI. Reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children are significantly higher, numbering about 812 per week between August 2022 and August 2023. Victims targeted are often boys between the ages of 14 and 17, and perpetrators are primarily located outside the United States and use the technique “catfishing” to impersonate another young person.

Since 2021, sextortion has been linked to at least 30 deaths by suicide of teen boys, according to a tally of private cases and FBI reports, USA TODAY reported earlier this year.

Police seeking more information

The Stony Point Police Department urges any student or parent with information to contact Youth Officer Detective Andrew Kryger at 845-786-2422.

Police said it’s important to provide an open and safe environment so children who may be victimized feel comfortable coming forward without fear of shame or punishment.

“We must create an environment that instills confidence and trust, ensuring that our children never feel alone and always know that support is available when they need it,” a police statement said.