Inland Empire Man Arrested on Federal Indictment for Allegedly Engaging in Sextortion with Victims He Messaged on Facebook

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          LOS ANGELES – A San Bernardino County man was arrested today on a federal grand jury indictment alleging he blackmailed young women on Facebook by threatening to publish nude photographs and videos unless they complied with his demands of sending him additional sexually explicit images.

          Jorge Esteban Sanchez Ramos, 23 – who used a series of online aliases, including “Nathan Ramirez,” “Juan Romero” and “George Sanchez” – was arrested without incident this morning at his Ontario residence by special agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

          Sanchez was charged with four felony counts of stalking in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury on May 24. Sanchez is scheduled to be arraigned on the indictment this afternoon in United States District Court in Los Angeles.

          According to the indictment, Sanchez’s conduct between April 2016 and May 2018 typically involved him using multiple aliases and Facebook accounts in order to contact his victims. Sanchez allegedly sent his victims – the indictment specifically alleges four women ranging in age between 18 and 24 – a series of messages complimenting the women and requesting that the women send him nude photographs or nude videos of themselves. After the victims sent Sanchez nude photographs or videos, Sanchez – using a different screen name – sent menacing messages that threatened to post their nude images to social media unless they sent him additional sexually explicit images, the indictment alleges.

          For example, in April 2016, Sanchez sent one 18-year-old woman a request to send nude images, and then sent her a series of messages from different Facebook accounts. On April 20, 2016, according to the indictment, Sanchez sent the victim a Facebook message that included a full-frontal nude image she had sent and a message stating, “Yes do it or I’ll post these nude [photos] some guy sent me how do you think I found you.” Sanchez allegedly sent the victim follow-up Facebook messages in which he instructed her how to film a sexually explicit video of herself, and he also demanded a nude video of herself that day. In between his demands for more sexually explicit images of the victim, Sanchez wrote, “Unblock me or I’ll ruin you” and “I know where you live,” the indictment states.

          In April 2016, Sanchez, using aliases, contacted another 18-year-old woman via Facebook and offered to pay her $600 in exchange for a nude image of herself, the indictment states. Sanchez allegedly sent the victim threatening Facebook messages where he demanded sexually explicit videos of the victim and threatened to post sexually explicit videos of the victim to her classmates and her parents.

          In May 2018, Sanchez allegedly sent the same victim a Facebook message containing a topless photograph of herself and then sent her messages, which stated, “Just reply…or i swear i will always be here” and “Good luck facing everyone after this. xD” Sanchez then posted a comment on Facebook offering to show third parties nude photos of the victim, the indictment alleges.

          If convicted of the four counts in the indictment, Sanchez would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

          An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

          This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pomona Police Department.

          This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Aron Ketchel of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section.