La Vega.- The Public Prosecutor’s Office requested the imposition of preventive detention as a coercive measure against two people who were arrested during the operation carried out yesterday Saturday in this province against digital blackmail.
The prosecuting body requested the Judicial Office of Permanent Attention Services of La Vega to impose preventive detention on the accused Domingo Enrique Vásquez Ramírez and Winnifer Yokasta Paulino Inoa at the hearing that was set for this Monday, August 5.
Both were brought to justice accused of violating articles 26, 410 and 411 of Law 136-03 of the Code for the Protection System and Fundamental Rights of Children and Adolescents, and articles 15, 16 and 24 of Law 53-07 on High Technology Crimes and Offenses, to the detriment of the Dominican State, which describe and punish, among others, the criminal types of violation of the right to the image of children and adolescents, commercial sexual exploitation, as well as the possession, acquisition, creation and dissemination of child sexual abuse material.
Authorities reported that after an investigation carried out by the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office Against High Technology Crimes and Offenses (Pedatec), in collaboration with the La Vega Prosecutor’s Office and the Special Division for the Investigation of Transnational Crimes (Deidet), they carried out several raids and arrests in response to crimes of extortion and blackmail, both against Dominican citizens and foreigners, through social networks, from whom they robbed large sums of money.
During the operation, Domingo Enrique Vásquez Ramírez was identified and arrested. He had in his possession a mobile phone with evidence of financial transactions and remittances related to Winnifer Yokasta Paulino Inoa. The latter was already under investigation for similar blackmail and fraud, using edited videos to involve minors.
During raids on properties associated with Paulino, 10 mobile devices and a laptop were seized.
Those involved in the investigation used fake social media profiles to attract their victims with suggestive photos. They then recorded and edited video call screens to simulate that the victim was involved in inappropriate conversations with minors, which allowed them to extort money from them.
The investigation revealed that these acts involved the use of child sexual abuse content.
Pedatec received cyber reports from the affected social platforms, which facilitated the tracking of the perpetrators.
This department of the Public Prosecutor’s Office called on citizens to report any attempt or case of fraud and blackmail via digital means and to local authorities to prevent others from suffering the same type of crimes.
