Canadian sentenced to prison for 'sextortion' of East Bay minor

A man who lured a Contra Costa County minor into divulging sexually explicit images, then blackmailed the victim into sending more, has been sentenced to prison for so-called "sextortion," prosecutors said.   

Nicholas Fahey, 25, of Gulf Island, Canada, was sentenced to two years in prison on Thursday, the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office said. The age and gender of the victim wasn't disclosed.   

Fahey contacted the minor on social media in the fall of 2019 and solicited sexually explicit images from the victim, prosecutors said Friday in a press release.   

"After the victim complied, Fahey sent the victim a series of threats, indicating he would release the images of the victim unless the victim complied with his demands for more photographs," prosecutors said.   

Sextortion is the most common crime targeting children on social media, according to the district attorney's office. It cited FBI statistics that 12,600 U.S. children were victims between 2021 and 2023 and resulted in at least 20 suicides.   

The investigation was referred to the Contra Costa County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations, prosecutors said.   

Fahey was identified through an investigation of his social media accounts and arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Bay Bulls, in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. He was charged on May 21, 2021.   

In addition to serving a prison term, Fahey will spend three years in supervised release and was ordered to register as a sex offender for 10 years, prosecutors said.

Crime and Public SafetyEast BayContra Costa County