Posted on 05/15/2019 7:13:19 AM PDT by Gamecock
Two South Carolina prison inmates have been charged in a “sextortion” scam that led to the suicide of a 24-year-old U.S. Army veteran.
Jared Johns, a father of two, killed himself on Sept. 11, 2018, after he was blackmailed by men pretending to be the parents of an underage girl who had sent him illicit photographs.
Greenville Police Chief Ken Miller announced Friday that a months-long investigation led authorities to John William Dobbins, 59, and Carl Richard Smith, 43 — two inmates at Lee Correctional Institution, a maximum-security facility near Bishopville, S.C.
“We now know that at the time of his death Jared was the victim of a blackmail scheme orchestrated by inmates in a South Carolina prison, which created sufficient mental anguish to cause Jared to believe that he was going to be accused of a serious crime with lifelong implications,” Miller said at a news conference.
The inmates, pretending to be the parents of a 17-year-old girl, demanded $1,189 from Johns so they wouldn’t go to the police, the chief said.
The two suspects are part of a “network” of inmates using dating apps on contraband cell phones to target military personnel, Miller said. They portray themselves as young, attractive women who quickly begin sharing nude or partially nude photos, according to the chief.
After the pictures are sent, the victims are then contacted by a person pretending to be the father or mother of the girl.
“Because servicemen have so much to lose, they often capitulate, even when no wrongdoing has occurred,” Miller said.
Text messages shared by Johns’ family show he told the men, whom he believed were the girl’s parents, that he had no memory of the incident but understood their anger.
“I have two kids of my own a 2 year old and 1 year old,” he wrote, according to messages shared with Greenville News.
Miller said it appears Johns was “in disbelief” about the allegations against him and “had no idea” he was being blackmailed.
The Army veteran died from a self-inflicted gunshot in his home on the 17th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
If convicted, the two suspects will have more time added to their already-long prison sentences. Dobbins is serving 25 years on drug charges and Smith is serving 15 years for assault.
I get the “We’ve been watching you masturbate using your computers camera and we’ll send the video to everyone in your address book”. Ha. Jokes on them. There is no camera on that computer. :)
The Weekend Safety Brief is about to get ten minutes longer.
There's no reason these two need to be breathing air for one more day.
No Web cams at home either except for a Linux laptop I turn on every so often.
It’s mostly a spare unit and I like trying out the software packages out there.
Punch line: Dang, if I’d known that. We could have
saved the horse and buggy!
Yup.
Whenever I missed Friday Formation Top made it a point to come by my office and give me my own private briefing.
Went something like this:
Top: “Sir, ready for your safety briefing?”
Me: “One second Top.” (I put my pen down, took my glasses off and folded my hands on my desk) “OK Top, go.”
Top: “Don’t do dumb sh!t Sir.”
Me: “You too Top. See you Monday morning at PT.”
Short. Concise. Conveyed a lot of information.
Inmates can use cell phones from prison???
See post 20.
Geeesh and Yuk!!!!
“Why are SC prison inmates allowed to have access to computers???”
They don’t, they were using cell phones that had been smuggled in to the prison.
Should pass a law saying possession of contraband phone earns you automatic extra year.
After reading about this young Army Vet committing suicide over an allegation he knew he could not fend off, or defend himself from, I found myself yet again furious with those who despise our country and want something else, virtually anything else, in its place. I am so sorry for his family. He and they did not deserve this.
As soon as those AH are found guilty and the administration supporting their activities, I want them hung. We who pay taxes and in our prior lives, lots of taxes, do not need them in this country leeching off our tax monies. Execute them.
Now about those who are from foreign countries including Somalia, let’s send them home unless they will swear in front of God and Country they will support our Constitution and Bill of Rights. Send them and all who think our Constitution is worn out and our Bill of Rights are inoperable back to their countries of origin no matter how far back genetically that is. They deserve to be in Communist/socialist countries since that seems to be what they will support.
I am so fed up with our wishy-washy wimpy liberals bent on destruction of the finest country in the world.
There needs to be a serious shake down among the guards too.
If cell phones have been accessible to the inmate long enough and consistently enough for scams like this to take place, then someone in the guard staff is assisting.
Jared experience also similar to a case that five South Carolina inmates and 10 accomplices were indicted for in Fall 2018,.... which targeted 442 military servicemen and reaped $500,000...the servicemen would be contacted by prisoners posing as angry fathers, claiming that the women the servicemen were sending illicit photos to were all underage. The ‘fathers’ would demand that the servicemen send them money in lieu of going to the police.
Well then maybe these guys will get some jail time...
I can’t imagine anyone being interested in watching me play The Operational Art of War IV.
Or me trying to Plat LA Noir or watching Rockford.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.