Theft By Extortion / Attempted Theft By Extortion

DATE & TIME: 01-26-2018 @ 1500

LOCATION: Gage County   

OFFENSE: Theft By Extortion / Attempted Theft By Extortion   

CASE #: 2018-0367 and 2018-0458

Gage County residents have reported to the sheriff’s office that while on Facebook, they became “Facebook Friends” with an adult female, who claimed to live and work in Omaha, and they then proceeded to have private video messages with them. During these consensual conversations, the suspect obtained compromising video of the victims and the suspect threatened to release the video to the victim’s family, friends, and employer.

The victims were contacted by text messages and told to send money, via Wal-Mart Moneygram, to a “Daniella Coopers” in Mali.  The Republic of Mali is a landlocked country in Africa and a former French colony. The victims report being told to send thousands of dollars and were even instructed to sell their vehicles, or the suspect would send the video to their family and put it on YouTube.

One victim sent the suspects a small amount of money, but the suspect continued to threaten them, eventually attempting to set up a “payment plan”, where the victim would send several hundred dollars each week.

The victims contacted the Gage County Sheriff’s Office and informed investigators of the incident. The victims were advised to not make payments to the suspects and that the suspects would not release the video, because they would then lose any power of coercion over the victims. 

There have been reports of this type of activity throughout Nebraska and when Facebook shuts down one profile, the suspect opens a new profile. Two consistent parts of these extortion attempts are the name of Daniella Coopers and that the victims are told to send money to a location in The Republic of Mali.

Sheriff Millard “Gus” Gustafson #903

Investigator T. Hanson #90310