Va. man pleads in sextortion involving Delco, Chesco women
Solicited nudes then demanded money
A Virginia man pleaded guilty in federal court to all four counts against him for cyberstalking two Pennsylvania women as part of a wider sextortion scheme.
Terrell Ashby, 25, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Gerald McHugh to two counts of extortion, and one count each of cyberstalking and cyberstalking resulting in serious bodily injury.
Ashby was arrested at his residence in Williamsburg in December 2020 following an investigation into his online activities over the prior year.
According to a sentencing memorandum prepared by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Wolfe:
Ashby created numerous profiles on Instagram and Snapchat between February and December 2020 under some variation of the name “Jason Brandon.”
He then sent direct messages to hundreds of women through Instagram offering to pay them $70,000. When they responded affirmatively, he switched the conversation to Snapchat,
where he promised them money in exchange for nude video chats or explicit photos.
Ashby took screenshots during these video chats without the victims’ knowledge, then extorted them for sums ranging from $25 to $50, threatening to release the images if they did not pay up.
Ashby also created numerous shaming “expose page” profiles using the images, which he showed to the victims or their social media followers and friends, threatening to “expose” the women until they paid him what he believed he was owed.
In some cases, Ashby would call women whose cellphone numbers he had obtained and continued this harassing behavior even after an initial payout.
One of these victims was a 20-year-old Delaware
County woman, who Ashby contacted in August 2020 through social media using the “Jason Brandon” moniker.
She agreed to participate in a nude video chat for the promise of a large sum of money, during which Ashby surreptitiously captured several explicit screenshots without the woman’s consent.
Ashby then sent the vic
tim multiple messages demanding that she pay him $40 to delete the nude photos or he would expose her. She paid the requested amount, which Ashby transferred to his bank account, but then continued to demand more money.
“Your expose page is being created right now and I’m also going to tag your college,” Ashby told the woman, according to the release. “Your life is over. You’re dumb if you thought this was over, it’s not over until my $134 is sent. I’ll make sure our whole school sees your nudes.”
The victim became distraught at the repeated harassment and ingested a number of prescription pills in an attempt to calm her nerves. She was rushed to an emergency room by ambulance and ultimately recovered.
Ashby meanwhile continued to advertise the nude photos of the victim using various Instagram and Snapchat accounts while sending the woman messages demanding more money.
In one November message, he told her had sent images to 50 people she followed and said, “I’m not stopping until you send what you owe.”
The second woman, a 21-year-old living in Chester County, was contacted in June 2020 and agreed to speak with Ashby on Snapchat for $70,000.
Ashby once again solicited nudes from that victim, telling her how to pose in images and convincing her to show her face in snaps that he recorded without her consent. Ashby then began extorting the second victim. She sent him $25, then blocked him after he began demanding more money.
In response, Ashby created new social media profiles that included the victim’s name and sent her friend requests or invitations to connect with the intent of further harassment.
Federal investigators looked into Ashby’s financial records and found he had received more than $23,000 in transfers between April 7, 2020, and Dec. 18, 2020.
He faces a maximum 19 years of imprisonment with 10 years of supervised release and a $1 million fine at sentencing, scheduled for Aug. 7.