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A Texas man is accused of stealing nude photographs and movies on-line of greater than a thousand victims, together with minors, in keeping with the FBI and a federal grievance.
Federal officers this week charged Andrew Venegas, 23, with little one sexual exploitation after he allegedly blackmailed girls and ladies into sending him extra express content material beneath threats that he would publicly share their nudes beginning in 2022.
The FBI believes Venegas hid behind a faux account known as “Starkylol”, utilizing a girl’s picture as his profile image to coerce and “extort” girls in america.
Throughout their investigation, federal authorities had Venegas ship express photos on to them.
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Federal officers this week charged Andrew Venegas, 23, with little one sexual exploitation. (FBI)
“He marketed his content material on-line to different people, together with particularly providing content material depicting minors beneath the age of 18,” the grievance in opposition to Venegas states.
A few of the victims Venegas allegedly stole nude photographs from got here from accounts he didn’t have permission to make use of. In different phrases, Venegas is accused of hacking some victims’ accounts to entry their nude photographs.
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He then threatened victims to ship extra express photos, which he shared on Telegram – an encrypted messaging app – and offered to patrons on-line. He marketed sure photos as particularly depicting ladies beneath the age of 18.
Andrew Venegas would threaten his victims to ship extra express photos, which he would share on Telegram. (FBI)
Whereas investigating an internet site that posts sexually express photos of ladies in varied phases of undress, officers discovered that “Televicts throughout the nation have reported that their photos or movies have been posted to TARGET DOMAIN A with out their consent. “
Some victims particularly reported that they believed the photographs/movies got here from their Snapchat account with out their consent,” the assertion learn.
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A message from a quantity related to Venegas to a sufferer learn: “I am now in your Snapchat account and may put up something or ship to your pals at any time when I need, altering your Snapchat password will not do something (sic ). Would you like me to share all this on the darkish internet and with your pals? Would you like me to maintain it a secret?”
Andrew Venegas is accused of hacking into the accounts of a few of his victims to entry their nude photographs. (FBI)
A number of victims discovered that their photos or movies had been posted on-line “after people contacted them and threatened to share the photographs/movies with associates or household if they didn’t present extra express photos and movies,” the FBI stated. This follow is named “sextortion,” which the FBI describes as “a critical crime that happens when somebody threatens to distribute your private and delicate materials for those who do not present them with photos of a sexual nature, sexual favors, or cash.”
Regulation enforcement officers recognized a number of victims who seem like minors within the express photos shared.
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In messages to a toddler sufferer, a track related to Venegas wrote, “So if you don’t need something shared, simply ship these final 2 (express photos) and I can go away you alone after that.”
A number of victims discovered that their photos or movies had been posted on-line “after people contacted them and threatened to share the photographs/movies with associates or household if they didn’t present extra express photos and movies,” the FBI stated. (FBI)
The FBI additionally analyzed one other web site with the same area to the primary web site to put up sexually express photos of ladies. Officers ultimately decided that “greater than 1,000 completely different females had their photographs posted on the (second) web site, usually accompanied by their actual names.”
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The FBI recognized a minor depicted in an express video on Venegas’ Telegram account and decided that the sufferer was “extorted by VENEGAS to commit the sexual acts proven within the video.”
Officers ultimately decided that “greater than 1,000 completely different females had their photographs posted on the (second) web site, usually accompanied by their actual names.” (FBI)
The “Starkylol” Telegram account additionally featured posts boasting about how “simple” it was for the suspect to acquire nude photographs from victims.
“She in all probability did not count on to be posted right here,” one message learn.
“Simple to function,” stated one other put up.
The “Starkylol” Telegram account additionally featured posts boasting about how “simple” it was for the suspect to acquire nude photographs from victims. (FBI)
Investigators ultimately reached out to the “Starkylol” account on Telegram to coordinate a sale with the suspect.
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Regulation enforcement officers, utilizing cryptocurrency (bitcoin), bought the package deal purporting to include ‘all college students, blackmail, and beneath 18’ and, whereas within the Japanese District of Virginia, carried out a partial obtain earlier than Starkylol canceled the obtain, claiming that the UC had taken too lengthy to obtain the fabric,” the grievance states. “Regulation enforcement was in a position to get hold of some photos of Starkylol that had been offered in file folders presumably with the names of the females depicted.”
Investigators ultimately reached out to the “Starkylol” account on Telegram to coordinate a sale with the suspect. (FBI)
The FBI contacted “Starkylol” and used a complete of three faux accounts to make purchases.
Investigators had been additionally in a position to hint a sufferer’s fee to Starkylol — in an try and have her nude photographs faraway from its web site — to a cryptocurrency account in Venegas’ title.
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Whereas executing a warrant at Venegas’ residence, an FBI agent despatched “two messages from an undercover Telegram account to Starkylol’s account”, each of which “displayed on VENEGAS’s telephone”.
Venegas is because of seem in court docket on Friday at 10 a.m
Audrey Conklin is a digital reporter for Fox Information Digital and FOX Enterprise. E mail tricks to audrey.conklin@fox.com or on Twitter at @audpants.
Texas man stole 1000’s of nude photographs of school, underage ladies, extorted them for extra: FBI
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