A 29-year-old Australian man has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for orchestrating a terrifying global sex blackmail scheme that targeted hundreds of victims across 20 countries, the majority of whom were children under the age of 16.
Ars Technical Reports Muhammad Zain-ul-Abidin Rasheed, who now lives in Australia, has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for his role in what police called “one of the worst sextortion cases in history.” Rasheed, who pleaded guilty to 119 charges involving 286 people, posed as a well-known teenage YouTuber to gain the trust of his victims and then blackmailed them, demanding that they provide him sexual content.
Following a tip from police in Leon County, Florida, the Australian Federal Police (AFP), in coordination with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and INTERPOL, began an investigation into Rashid's activities in 2019. The investigation revealed that Rashid targeted at least 180 children under the age of 16, among a total of 286 victims across 20 countries.
Rasheed's modus operandi was to target girls and women who had publicly shared their friend lists on social media. He would make his victims believe he was a famous YouTuber, and once he gained their trust, he would inject sexual fantasies into their chats. He would then edit screenshots of the chats to make it appear as if the victim had responded to the explicit messages. He would use the edited screenshots to threaten to send sexual content to the victim's friends if they did not share it immediately, often setting a “countdown timer” to pressure them.
“Rasheed's demands became increasingly frightening and humiliating, with some of his victims being forced to perform harrowing sexual acts in their own homes, with family pets and other young children. He stored the videos and sometimes live-streamed them, in one case to an audience of 98 adults. Rasheed persisted with his demands, even when his victims became suicidal and shared images of themselves harming themselves.”
Sentencing, District Judge Amanda Burrows noted the “degrading and humiliating nature of Rasheed's crimes” and that “the involvement of a family pet” was “particularly abhorrent”. The judge also highlighted Rasheed's participation in “incel” online communities which promote misogynistic attitudes and the belief that women are inferior and owe sex to men. In these forums, Rasheed shared sextortion tactics and details of vulnerable children with other men.
AFP Deputy Commissioner David McLean highlighted the brutality of Rasheed's actions, saying: “His abhorrent behaviour and callous disregard for the obvious distress, humiliation and fear of his victims makes this one of the most horrific cases of sex blackmail prosecuted in Australia.” The judge agreed, increasing Rasheed's sentence as a deterrent to other victims, acknowledging the trauma many of them will suffer for the rest of their lives.
Rasheed will be eligible for parole as early as 2033. Information about Rasheed and other criminals he has been in contact with is being shared with law enforcement agencies in several countries as the AFP continues its efforts to combat online sexual exploitation and bring perpetrators to justice.
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Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering free speech and online censorship.
