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Federal prosecutors in South Carolina have extradited and indicted a Nigerian man in connection with a sextortion scam which led to the suicide of a state lawmaker’s son more than two-and-a-half years ago.
Gavin Guffey, 17, of Rock Hill, S.C., died by suicide in July 2022 after being targeted by an unknown blackmailer. His father, state representative Brandon Guffey, responded by leading the charge to pass anti-sextortion legislation in the Palmetto State in the aftermath of his son’s death. The new law – named in his son’s honor – took effect in 2023.
On Monday (January 27, 2025), federal officials announced the extradition and arrest of 24-year-old Hassanbunhussein Abolore Lawal of Osun State, Nigeria in connection with the sextortion scam which led to Guffey’s suicide.
“Lawal allegedly posed as a young woman on social media and coerced (Guffey) into sending compromising photos,” a release from the office of U.S. attorney Adair Ford Boroughs noted. “He then extorted and sent harassing messages to the teen threatening to leak the photos and ruin his reputation unless the teen sent him money. Lawal later did the same to members of his family.”
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RELATED | INNOCENCE SHATTERED
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Lawal was charged federally with “child exploitation resulting in death, the production and distribution of child sexual abuse material, coercion and enticement of a minor, cyberstalking resulting in death, interstate threats with intent to extort and aiding/abetting,” per the release.
If convicted, he faces life in prison and mandatory minimum sentences on numerous counts – including a mandatory 30-year sentence on the charge of child exploitation resulting in death.
Lawal was originally indicted by a federal grand jury in South Carolina in October 2023. Last Friday (January 24, 2025), upon completion of extradition proceedings in Nigeria, agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) took custody of him and brought him back to the United States.
Lawal was arraigned at the Matthew J. Perry Jr. federal courthouse in downtown Columbia, S.C. on Monday – followed by a press conference featuring federal prosecutors.
Our Dylan Nolan attended the press conference and we will be providing additional coverage…
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“We will not allow predators who target our children to hide behind a keyboard or across the ocean,” Boroughs said in a statement accompanying the announcement of Lawal’s indictment. “Today we honor Gavin’s life and continue our fight against sextortion by holding this defendant accountable.”
FBI special agent in charge Steve Jensen hailed the “countless hours of dedicated work done by our investigators both here and abroad.”
“We remain steadfast in our commitment to holding criminals accountable, especially those who target our children and endanger their lives, no matter where they are,” Jensen said.
As with anyone accused of committing any crime, Lawal is considered innocent until proven guilty by our criminal justice system – or until such time as he may wish to enter some form of allocution in connection with a plea agreement with prosecutors related to any of the charges filed against him.
This case was investigated by the FBI Columbia field office, the FBI’s Violent Crimes Against Children Section and International Operations Division, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), and the York County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO). Assistant U.S. attorneys Elliott B. Daniels, Lothrop Morris and Michael Shedd will lead the prosecution of Lawal.
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As previously noted, sextortion scams typically target young men between the age of 14-17 – but any child can become a victim. Sextortion scams involve offenders coercing minors into creating and sending them sexually explicit images and/ or video. After receiving the sexually explicit material from the child, the offenders threaten to release the compromising material unless the victim pays them – and/ or produces more compromising material.
Tragically, South Carolina has seen several of these cases end with minor victims taking their own lives.
Federal officials have said sextortion scams typically originate in west African countries such as Nigeria and Ivory Coast, or Southeast Asian countries such as the Philippines.
What can parents do to protect their children?
Click here for information on Gavin’s Law in South Carolina. To report possible exploitation of a young person or child, contact your local FBI field office, call 1-800-CALL-FBI, or report it online at tips.fbi.gov. Also, to learn how sextortion works – and how to talk to your children about it – information, resources, and conversation guides are available at fbi.gov/StopSextortion.
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THE RELEASE…
(U.S. Attorney’s Office)
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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