In a crackdown on cybercrime, Hadja Kone, a 28-year-old woman from Delaware, has been arrested over her involvement in an extensive international sextortion and money laundering ring. The unsealed indictment reveals that Kone, alongside Siaka Ouattara, 22, from Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, and several other conspirators, orchestrated a scheme that victimized thousands across the U.S., Canada, and the UK from May 2020 to December 2022.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the group allegedly created fake online personas as young, attractive females and engaged in communications with primarily young men, including minors. They offered or provided explicit content and recorded the victims without their knowledge during these interactions. These recordings were then used to extort money from the victims, threatening to release the images and videos to their families, employers, and on social media unless they paid substantial amounts.
Through platforms like CashApp and ApplePay, the perpetrators attempted to extort around $6 million, successfully securing about $1.7 million. The funds were then laundered and transferred to various international locations, primarily Côte d’Ivoire.
Ouattara was apprehended earlier on February 24 in Abidjan on charges related to the same criminal activities. Both Kone and Ouattara face multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit cyberstalking and to send interstate threats, money laundering, and wire fraud. Each of these charges carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
FinTelegram urges anyone with more information or who may have been affected by similar schemes to come forward to assist in the ongoing investigations and to potentially prevent further exploitation. This case highlights the critical need for vigilance online and the importance of safeguarding personal information in digital interactions.