TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody is warning Floridians about an alarming increase in sextortion targeting minors. Sextortion is a form of exploitation where victims, including children, are coerced into sharing explicit photos or videos of themselves. The predator will then use the images to blackmail the target with threats to publicly expose the material. Recently, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a startling warning about the increase in sextortion cases, including more than 3,000 minor victims in 2022.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “Sextortion cases are on the rise nationwide and thousands of minors are being targeted and victimized. Parents and guardians, please talk to your children about this disturbing crime and make sure they know not to take or send explicit images to anyone. Keep an open dialog with your children and urge them to tell you if they are ever asked to exchange inappropriate content.”

The 2022 Human Trafficking Summit hosted a session on sextortion, with additional information on this crime and how parents and guardians can help children avoid being victimized. The session is called “Understanding the Dangers of Sextortion”. Continue reading →

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody is warning parents about the dangers of fentanyl, a highly lethal synthetic opioid. A new study, conducted by Families Against Fentanyl, found that children under the age of 14 are dying of fentanyl poisoning at a faster rate than any other age group. Fentanyl continues to be the number one killer of adults 18-45. With these alarming statistics, Attorney General Moody is urging Floridians to never use illicit drugs and is sharing the Fast Facts on Fentanyl Toolkit to help parents talk to their children about fentanyl.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “This is disturbing news, and as the mother of a school-aged child, I want to make sure every family is engaging in an open dialog about the dangers posed by massive amounts of illicit drugs flooding into our country. We have known for a while about the skyrocketing fentanyl deaths among young adults—and we suspected it was having a growing impact on small children, but this report confirms the urgent public-safety risks all parents are now facing when trying to protect their children from this deadly synthetic poison flooding into our country from Mexico.” Continue reading →

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution today secured 30-year prison sentences for members of a massive identity theft scheme. The lengthy sentences are a result of three individuals, Carnessa Rouse, Gregory Engram and Samishia Askew stealing the identities of more than 120 individuals—most victims being above the age of 65. Using the victims’ identities, the defendants opened fraudulent credit card accounts to fund luxurious lifestyles.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “We secured lengthy prison sentences for three defendants for their roles in a massive identity theft scheme spanning at least seven counties in Florida. These fraudsters victimized more than 120 Floridians—most of them seniors—by stealing and misusing ill-gotten personal information to open fraudulent credit card accounts. They then used the credit accounts to fund their extravagant lifestyles. Now their lifestyles will be much more modest in prison thanks to the great work of my Statewide Prosecutors and our hardworking law enforcement partners.” Continue reading →