B.C. man facing 23 charges in online sextortion of teens in Ont., Que. and N.S.

A 19-year-old B.C. man has been charged with 23 offences in the alleged online sextortion of victims in multiple provinces.

The Burnaby RCMP announced the charges Tuesday, saying they followed a cross-country investigation led by the detachment's child abuse and sexual exploitation unit following reports in Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec.

Last month, Anwer Jelassi was charged with nine counts of extortion, four counts of online luring, four child pornography offences, one count of publishing intimate images without consent, two counts of invitation to sexual touching, one count of secretly recording nudity or sexual activity and two counts of breaching an undertaking.

Authorities did not say how many victims were involved but did say the "majority" were between 15 and 18 years old. The BC Prosecution Service, in an email to CTV News, said there were nine complainants.

"We would really like to commend these victims for coming forward and reporting these incidents to police," said Burnaby RCMP Cpl. Max Gagné. "Their bravery in stepping forward and telling someone has allowed us to advance this investigation, which has now resulted in criminal charges."

Jelassi is bound by a number of court-ordered conditions, including a prohibition on using social networking or online dating sites including TikTok and Tinder. He is also not allowed to have contact with anyone under the age of 16.

Mounties say online sextortion is on the rise across Canada, but the crimes are believed to be underreported.

"Online sexual extortion is a crime that has had tragic outcomes," said Gagné.

"We want to remind victims that they are not alone and that we are here to help them and hold offenders to account."

Police also recommend families visit cybertip.ca for information about online safety.

Jelassi is next due in court on Aug. 19.