A Jackson man has been taken into custody on federal charges relating to an alleged sextortion scheme that targeted multiple victims, including minors.
According to a nine-count indictment unsealed this week, Marquez Cameron Jones Weston, 22, allegedly operated a sextortion scheme in which he engaged in cyberstalking, interstate threats, extortion, attempted production of child pornography, and transportation of child pornography over the internet.
The Justice Department reports that as part of the scheme charged in the indictment, Weston attempted and successfully extorted money and nude, sexually explicit photographic images from at least 47 different identified female individuals over the internet, with more unidentified. Several of these females were minors. The indictment alleges Weston committed these crimes from July 2023 through February 2024.
“We are seeing a troubling increase throughout the nation of ‘sextortion’ as criminals, like this defendant, use the information they gain through online communications, hacking, or other means to blackmail juveniles and other victims into giving them pornography,” U.S. Attorney Todd Gee said. “I encourage parents to be aware of who their children are communicating with online, and all internet users to be cautious about sharing their personal information online.”
Weston made his initial court appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew S. Harris. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison. In February, a federal grand jury named Weston in a separate indictment charging him with possession of child pornography. If convicted of that charge, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The FBI is investigating the case with assistance from the Sam Houston State University Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly T. Purdie is prosecuting the case.
The FBI provides the following six tips on how people can protect themselves from sextortion schemes:
- Be selective about what you share online. If your social media accounts are open to everyone, a predator may be able to figure out a lot of information about you.
- Be wary of anyone you encounter for the first time online. Block or ignore messages from strangers.
- Be aware that people can pretend to be anything or anyone online. Videos and photos are not proof that people are who they claim to be. Images can be altered or stolen. In some cases, predators have even taken over the social media accounts of their victims.
- Be suspicious if you meet someone on one game or app and this person asks you to start talking on a different platform.
- Be in the know. Any content you create online — whether it is a text message, photo, or video—can be made public. And nothing actually “disappears” online. Once you send something, you don’t have any control over where it goes next.
- Be willing to ask for help. If you are getting messages or requests online that don’t seem right, block the sender, report the behavior to the site administrator, or go to an adult. If you have been victimized online, tell someone.
