NORFOLK, Va. — Jessica B. told Scripps News earlier this year she thought she was talking online to a 14-year-old from New York, but it was really a man named Filippo Parlagreco, an adult from Warrenton, Virginia.
Jessica says she was threatened into sending a picture of her, which he then used to blackmail her for four years.
She kept it from her mom.
"I didn't want to do anything that would disappoint my mom or my family, so it was the shame and embarrassment and the guilt," she said.
Parlagreco was later caught and sentenced to 31 years in prison.
Sextortion, a nationwide issue, is also impacting local kids.
"It's kids on dating apps, kids playing video games, and typically, they think they're talking to someone they think is their age, and that person is not who they say they are," said Kristen Pine, the chief operating officer of the YWCA of South Hampton Roads, an organization helping kids or anyone dealing with sextortion.
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"Sextortion is a kind of sexual assault, so what we say to any sexual assault victim across the range of sexual violence is, you are not alone. Everyone feels like they're alone," said Pine.
In recent years, the crime has taken on a financial motive, although pedophilia is still a problem as well.
Federal investigators say people in other countries are posing as teenagers, getting teens to send them intimate photos, and then threatening to post the images unless they receive some sort of payment, like gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency.
"They're exploiting the children in saying that, 'If you don't send me money, we're going to tell your parents. We're going to tell your school what you've done and post what you shared with us, but we need money in return,'" said Dede Wallace, a victim assistance specialist for Homeland Security Investigations, a federal agency.
Wallace told News 3 it's happening across social media platforms.
"It's not so much what platforms should I be afraid of, it's you should be aware of all platforms that will have your child engage with anybody around the world," said Wallace.
Federal investigators say they received more than 13,000 reports of online sextortion of minors between October 2021 and March 2023. They say it's led to at least 20 suicides.
"The thing is, you have to remember what you were like as a kid, and that moment you did something bad and all you keep thinking about is how much trouble you're going to get in," said Wallace.
Investigations
2 child sextortion cases in Hampton Roads under investigation
Because the crimes can involve people and computer servers in other countries, they can be a challenge to prosecute. However, investigators say victims still need to come forward to make it stop.
"Don't destroy evidence. Don't be worried that we're going to blame the child. We're going to blame someone else. We're going to be looking [for] the perpetrator and making sure that person is in trouble," said Wallace.
Advocates and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares say parents need to have conversations with their kids about smartphones and put some sort of limits on them.
"What we tell parents: if you give your child a smartphone with no parental controls on it, that is the day your child's innocence dies," Miyares told News 3.
Jessica talks about her story to help other people come forward.
"Just tell somebody and let somebody know what's going on because you don't have to go through it alone," she said.
The following resources are available to anyone who needs help:
YWCA Hotline: 757-251-0144
Samaritan House Hotline: 757-430-2120
