2 people from Africa charged in alleged online exploitation: N.B. police

New Brunswick RCMP charged two people from Côte d’Ivoire, Africa, after they were arrested in the Moncton area for alleged online exploitation.

In a release, police say members of the Codiac RCMP executed search warrants at two locations in Moncton and Dieppe on March 2, 2023, after receiving information from the Roussillon Intermunicipal Board of Police in Quebec.

Police said they seized a number of electronic devices during the search, and a 27-year-old man, a 26-year-old man, and a 26-year-old woman from Côte d’Ivoire were arrested.

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The three people were released and scheduled to appear in court at a later date. Two of them, Jean Michel Axel Gouin and Ketiboua Kesse, appeared in Moncton Provincial Court at the end of August, where they were both charged with possession of property obtained by crime and released under strict conditions.

Investigators determined that Gouin and Kesse “had received large sums of money from multiple victims through the means of online extortion, scams, and threats,” police said in the release.

Victims were asked to send money via e-transfer to the following email addresses: axelgouin12@gmail.com and axoubisou225@gmail.com, police said.

The pair returned to court on Nov. 22 and their hearing has been adjourned until Jan 3, 2024.

“At this point, all of the victims identified are from Quebec, however, police are still working diligently to determine if there are other victims,” police said.

Anyone who may be a victim or has information related to this case is asked to contact their local police or Crime Stoppers.