PHILADELPHIA, PA — Terrell Ashby, also known by the alias “Jason Brandon,” has been sentenced to 36 months in federal prison for orchestrating a widespread sextortion scheme. United States District Court Judge Gerald McHugh handed down the sentence Thursday, which also includes three years of supervised release and the payment of $28,883.64 in restitution to the victims.
Ashby, aged 26 from Williamsburg, Virginia, had previously entered a guilty plea to two counts of cyberstalking—one resulting in serious bodily injury—and two counts of extortion. His criminal activities spanned from February 2020 to December 2020, during which he targeted over 100 young women across the nation by exploiting their social media presence.
The scheme involved Ashby deceitfully convincing these women to engage in nude video chats or send explicit photographs by promising a substantial monetary reward of $70,000. However, rather than fulfilling his promise, he captured screenshots during these interactions and subsequently used the images to blackmail the victims. Threatening to distribute the explicit content publicly unless the victims complied with his demands, Ashby extorted amounts ranging from $25 to $50.
Despite receiving payment, Ashby persistently harassed his victims, creating numerous defamatory social media profiles using their identities and explicit images. His relentless pursuit involved sending repeated threats that their private images would be exposed to friends and family. This sustained harassment had severe repercussions for the victims, including one from the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, who was driven to attempt suicide and required hospitalization due to the emotional distress caused by Ashby’s actions.
U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero condemned Ashby’s actions, highlighting the relentless nature of his campaign against the victims. “It’s hard to understand what prompted, and then perpetuated, his criminal cruelty,” she stated. “At the end of the day, though, we don’t really need to know why he did it. It’s more important to know where he’s headed for doing so — and that’s federal prison, for the next several years of his life. That’s a measure of justice for his many victims, but it will never erase all the harm done.”
This case was investigated by the Philadelphia division of the FBI, with assistance from the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Virginia. The prosecution was led by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Wolfe, providing that justice was served for the victims of this egregious scheme.
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