An investigation that started in January after several students in Aurora reported being victims of sextortion culminated last week when the Aurora police's Internet Crimes Against Children Unit arrested an Aurora man and two minors.
Jamir Deante Bright was arrested last Friday. The 18-year-old was charged with two counts of child exploitation and one count related to criminal extortions which are all felonies in Arapahoe District Court.
Multiple students at high schools in Aurora reported potential victimization of sextortion to school resource officers at the beginning of the year. After a preliminary investigation, the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit took over.
“Those detectives conducted a complex and thorough investigation throughout the year,” said Lt. Seth Robertson of APD’s Special Victims Section. “That ultimately led to the identification of our suspect as the person responsible for exploiting the students for some sort of monetary gain over images that had been posted on the internet.”
Sextortion is a form of exploitation where minors are blackmailed most often through the threat of publishing an explicit image. It could also involve sharing sexually explicit images in exchange for money.
Several electronic devices were found and searched, and countless social media profiles were viewed to identify the suspects, according to a release from the police. Investigators discovered an Instagram account set up to exploit random students for money. It is unknown who set up the account or how long it has been up.
“People would submit pictures and videos to this exposed account and share it with them. And it was random. So, some of the pictures and videos were just people that posted and our suspects had no idea who they were,” said Sgt.Joseph Sullivan of the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit.
Bright, who was not enrolled in school when the investigation began, was identified as a primary suspect in the investigation. Investigators also identified two underage accomplices from Denver. All three were friends. A 17-year-old and a 14-year-old were charged as juveniles in Aurora Municipal Court. Their charges are misdemeanors.
Juveniles are frequently targeted and victimized in such cases, police say. The cases are often first reported to school staff or school resource officers.
“It's a positive thing of having school resource officers in the schools, having school staff that are there to be for the students,” Robertson said. “So that we can help these victims get the support that they need and begin an investigation of this nature. “
Bright is out of custody on a $10,000 bond. He’s scheduled to appear in Arapahoe County Court on Jan. 10, 2025. The next court appearances of the other two suspects are unknown.
