Between Aug. 20 and Sept. 5, four Delaware men were arrested or self-surrendered on federal charges related to an alleged international sextortion scheme. The scheme reportedly targeted thousands of victims across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
According to a superseding indictment unsealed on Sept. 5, Sidi Diakite, 30; Almamy Diaby, 22; Abdul Aziz Sangare, 26; and Abdoul Aziz Traore, 31, all residents of Wilmington, are among those accused of operating a financially motivated sextortion and money laundering ring. The co-conspirators allegedly engaged in cyberstalking, interstate threats, extortion, money laundering, and wire fraud. As part of the scheme, the group attempted to extort approximately $6.9 million from thousands of potential victims and successfully extorted approximately $1.9 million through platforms like CashApp and Apple Pay.
The indictment also includes charges against Hadja Kone, 28, of Wilmington, Delaware, who was previously arrested in April; and Siaka Ouattara, 22, of Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, who was arrested in February on Ivorian charges related to the same scheme.
The indictment alleges that the conspirators posed as young females online, initiating conversations with thousands of potential victims—primarily young men, including minors from the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. They promised or provided sexual photographs, video recordings, or live video chats portraying a young female, when in fact the conspirators were behind the accounts. Unbeknownst to the victims, during the webcam or live chats, the conspirators secretly recorded them while they exposed themselves or engaged in sexual acts. The conspirators then threatened to send the compromising images to the victim’s friends, family members, employers, or others unless the victims transferred funds to specific accounts.
The funds extorted were allegedly transferred to co-conspirators in Côte d’Ivoire and other overseas locations.
Diakite, Diaby, Sangare, Traore, Kone, and Ouattara are each charged with conspiracy to commit cyberstalking, interstate threats, conspiracy to engage in money laundering, money laundering, and wire fraud. Each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count of conspiracy and money laundering, as well as 20 years for each wire fraud count. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory considerations.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, U.S. Attorney David C. Weiss for the District of Delaware, and Acting Assistant Director James C. Barnacle Jr. of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division announced the charges.
The FBI is leading the investigation, with assistance from the government of Côte d’Ivoire.
The prosecution team includes Trial Attorney Austin M. Berry of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Senior Trial Attorney Mona Sedky of the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Briana Knox for the District of Delaware.
