“The victim advised that her social media account had been hacked and the hacker had removed all of her inappropriate photos from her account,” Mortensen said in a news release. “The hacker then contacted the victim and advised the photos would be released unless she gave the hacker access to other photos and videos.”
Mortensen said Cameron Charles Brush, 18, was identified as a suspect and investigation led to computers he was operating at two different homes that were searched on September 12.
“Detectives executed a search warrant at the residences and interviewed Brush, who admitted his involvement in the incident,” the news release said. “Brush also admitted to detectives that he had hacked into numerous social media accounts of other underage juveniles and believed he had taken photos from approximately 50 individuals.”
Chief Deputy Dean McKie said the case reveals the wisdom of not putting compromising images in the public domain.
“This ongoing and extensive investigation is a great reminder to parents of the possible dangers of social media. The Mohave County Sheriff’s Office recommends that parents monitor the social media accounts of their underage children and discuss the dangers of sending photos of themselves to anyone,” Mckie said. “It is very troublesome to know that there are a large number of unidentified victims in this case.”
Brush was initially charged with sexual extortion, theft by extortion and sexual exploitation of a minor.
Detectives are attempting to identify other victims. Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office Detective Division at 928-753-0753 or call toll free at 1-800-522-4312.
