In the court in Arnhem today, two women (aged 30 and 27) and a 34-year-old man from the Arnhem region were on trial for extortion via sextortion between June 2020 and March 2023. The Public Prosecution Service demanded a community service of 200 hours and a conditional prison sentence of 6 months against the 30-year-old woman. The demand for the 27-year-old female defendant is 30 months in prison, of which 10 are conditional. The man faced a prison sentence of 3 years (of which half a year is conditional). The prosecutor stated in her plea: “The defendants have slyly blackmailed their victims. Behind every case of sextortion lies a victim whose life can be completely disrupted. This is also the case in this matter.”
The defendants created advertisements on various sex websites. When a response was received to the advertisement, one of the defendants would start a sexually charged conversation. After making a sexual appointment or for example sending an intimate photo by the victim, the defendant threatened to send this messaging traffic to the victims family or employer.
The defendants used multiple SIM cards and phones. If a victim blocked a number, the defendants would use another number. If a victim paid, the pressure would then be increased so that more payments would come. Meanwhile, the defendants actively searched via social media for the victims family, friends, or employer. The defendants opened multiple bank accounts to receive payments. They also used account numbers from family members of the defendants and from front men.
At least nine victims lost hundreds, thousands, and sometimes tens of thousands of euros. In some cases, it remained an attempted extortion. The prosecutor: “The defendants completely disregarded the feelings of fear and insecurity they caused through their actions. They have made a significant invasion into the personal lives of the victims.”
The prosecutor takes the case very seriously: “The manner of committing such offenses is calculated and ruthless. We often see that victims in such cases are driven to extremes and that they sometimes even decide to commit suicide.” A total of over 90,000 euros was seized. The Public Prosecution Service demanded the court to confiscate the unlawfully obtained money. The man and the 27-year-old woman are also suspected of money laundering.
Although not all defendants have played an equally large role, the Public Prosecution Service sees all three as accomplices in this crime. Investigations, including the phones of the three, clearly showed a conscious and close collaboration. The severity of the sentence per defendant also depends on their role in the whole, any criminal record, and advice from probation services regarding the risk of reoffending.