A Giza Criminal Court has sentenced a 22-year-old Egyptian medical student to one year in prison for blackmailing foreign women and girls. The defendant, identified as “A.A.”, is a fourth-year student at Cairo University’s Kasr Al-Ainy Faculty of Medicine and resides in Monshaat Al-Qanater.
The case dates back to offences allegedly committed in 2024 and was registered as No. 322 of 2026 before the Imbaba Criminal Court and No. 30 of 2026 before the Economic Crimes circuit. The investigation began after US authorities notified their Egyptian counterparts that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had identified the Egyptian student as being involved in blackmailing American women and girls, including some who were minors.
The defendant contacted the victims through Discord, where he allegedly sent sexual and pornographic messages and sought sexual benefits from them. He obtained private photos and videos of the victims without their consent and threatened to publish them unless they sent him additional sexual images and videos or transferred money through PayPal.
The prosecution accused the defendant of digitally manipulating the victims’ photos and videos and adding the branding of a pornographic website in a way intended to harm their reputation. Investigators said the defendant obtained money from at least one victim through the threats, with the woman transferring money to him via PayPal.
The investigation found that the defendant created and operated multiple online accounts to facilitate the offences and repeatedly contacted the victims using electronic communications. An examination of his mobile phone allegedly found numerous sexual photos and videos belonging to women and girls, including material belonging to the victims.
According to the prosecution, the FBI's report said US authorities had contacted Discord and established that the account allegedly used in the offences was registered to an email address belonging to the defendant and was associated with internet protocol addresses in Egypt. The FBI also contacted Google and traced the device's digital footprint, establishing that the phone had been used to access 32 accounts.
The prosecution said the defendant admitted in detail to committing the offences and acknowledged ownership of the seized mobile phone. A report by Egypt’s National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) found 68 active email accounts on the phone, including the account allegedly used in the offences and those identified in the FBI report.
Key points
- The defendant was found to have blackmailed multiple foreign women and girls.
- The defendant used Discord to contact his victims and obtain private photos and videos.
- The defendant admitted to committing the offences and acknowledged ownership of the seized mobile phone.
