Star Tribune
Living rural doesn’t protect kids against cyber crime
CLITHERALL, Minn. – Sunday night, I took away my 12-year-old’s smartphone.
He’d received it about a year ago from a relative who was getting a new one. It didn’t have cellphone service so there was no monthly charge. He played games on it and listened to music. It took me a while to realize that he could actually use it to go online.
After learning he’d set up accounts on TikTok, YouTube and Gmail, I went through his phone. One of the top video recommendations from YouTube was a clip of a girl with “pig,” “fat” and “ugly” written on her face, and even though she shakes her head, no, denying she is those things, it switches to a smug young man nodding, yes, she is. That’s for starters.
But primarily I don’t want him to become the victim of online bullying or sexual extortion. Even though we live 30 miles from the nearest stoplight, our internet devices bring the world to our doorstep, including crimes that target children.
Throughout 2024, the FBI has been warning of a “huge increase” in cases of children and teens being tricked into sending explicit images to con artists and then threatened with exposure unless they send more images, money or gift cards online. From October 2021 to March 2023, the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations said they received more than 13,000 reports of online financial sextortion of minors. There were at least 12,600 victims — primarily boys. The crimes reportedly led to at least 20 suicides.
In August alone, men from Ohio, Missouri, Oregon and Hawaii were each sentenced to decades in federal prison for tricking victims, including minors as young as 11. One of the crimes was against a minor in Minnesota’s Carver County.
In 2022, 17-year-old Jordan DeMay of Marquette, Mich., killed himself after thinking he was sending nude pictures of himself to a young woman, when it was really being sent to men in Nigeria, who were using the fake online name dani.robertts. They threatened to send the pictures to all of his social media contacts unless he paid them $1,000. He could pay only $300, so they threatened him again.
A federal indictment includes the following dialogue between DeMay and his tormenters:
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A 21-year-old Minneapolis man has received a term topping 13 years for causing a two-vehicle crash while fleeing police in Robbinsdale that killed a young mother and severely injured her husband.
Quintin Leon Hudson was sentenced Thursday in Hennepin County District Court after pleading guilty to fleeing police resulting in death, and fleeing police resulting in great bodily harm, in connection with the crash on July 8, 2023, at 36th and Orchard avenues N., where he broadsided a minivan following a brief pursuit by police.
Emily Gerding, 34, of Crystal, died. Her husband, John Gerding, 35, was seriously injured.
With credit for time in jail after his arrest, Hudson is expected to serve roughly 8¾ years in prison and the balance of his 13¾-year term on supervised release.
The Gerdings worked as special education teachers at Coon Rapids Middle School, according to a spokeswoman for the Anoka-Hennepin School District.
Daughters Emelia, now 7, and Eleanor, now 4, were not in the vehicle.
“My thoughts are with Emily’s family, especially her husband, John, and their children,” read a post-sentencing statement from Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty.
“John and Emily … made a difference in the lives of so many members of our community,” Moriarty’s statement continued. “While the impact of this tragedy is most acutely felt by Emily’s family, our community now suffers as well. Mr. Hudson’s reckless actions took one life and affected many more.”
