GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A Florida man has been charged for the sextortion of a 13-year-old Michigan girl. He is 21-year-old Brandon Huu Le.
According to the Department of Justice, Le contacted the girl using Snapchat on August 10 and 11, 2019. He steered the conversation to sexual topics and took a screenshot of the sexual portion of the conversation. He then threatened to publicly post the conversation online with the victim’s name if she did not provide him with sexually explicit photos and material.
Le has been charged for coercion and enticement of a minor, sexual exploitation of a minor, and receipt of child pornography.
“These charges represent serious allegations, and we are moving with all diligence to make our case and protect the public,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten, for the Western District of Michigan. “Sextortion is on the rise and represents a real and present danger to every child, teenager, and user of social media. We will use every power at our disposal to protect our most vulnerable community members from this emerging threat.”
“The use of the internet to threaten and manipulate children into producing sexually explicit images, and then threatening to share or publish those images to get the victims to produce more is predatory conduct that is very harmful to minor victims,” said James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. “I commend the young victims who came forward to report Le’s behavior. Reporting to law enforcement is the brave, first step towards holding these predators accountable for their actions.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI are working to identify other victims from throughout the country that Le may have approached. It is believed that he used the name “Ty” and the other following usernames on various social media, messaging, and email accounts:
- addityyt
- tyaddinude
- tyaddibaby
- tycroneaddi
- tygrazittenudef
If you believe that you are a victim in this case, please visit the U.S. Department of Justice website or contact victim coordinator Kathy Shuette by calling 616-808-2034 or emailing kathy.schuette@usdoj.gov.
The FBI has also provided the following steps on how people can protect themselves from sextortion schemes:
- Be selective of what you share online.
- Be wary of anyone you encounter for the first time online.
- Be aware that people can pretend to be anything or anyone online.
- Be suspicious if you meet someone on one game or app and this person asks you to start talking on a different platform.
- Be in the know. Any content you create online – whether it is a text message, photo, or video – can be made public. Nothing actually disappears online.
- Be willing to ask for help.
Anyone who has information about or believes that they are a victim of sextortion is asked to contact their local FBI field office by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI. Tips can also be sent online on the FBI’s website. More information on protecting yourself from sextortion can be found here.
