Connect with us

West

FBI arrests man in Las Vegas for allegedly extorting Instagram users after he gloated on podcast

Published

on

FBI arrests man in Las Vegas for allegedly extorting Instagram users after he gloated on podcast

Join Fox News for access to this content

Plus special access to select articles and other premium content with your account – free of charge.

By entering your email and pushing continue, you are agreeing to Fox News’ Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which includes our Notice of Financial Incentive.

Please enter a valid email address.

Having trouble? Click here.

The FBI arrested a boastful social media scamming suspect last week after the Moroccan national allegedly bragged about his extortion scheme in a tell-all podcast interview that launched the investigation against him.

Idriss Qibaa – previously known as “Dani” or “Unlocked” – was arrested at his Las Vegas home and is facing federal charges related to two criminal felony counts filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Nevada. 

Advertisement

He allegedly violated interstate communications laws for violent threats he relayed through text messages to two victims and members of their families, according to a criminal complaint obtained by Fox News Digital.

“I just couldn’t believe I was in the same room with someone who could do that,” No Jumper podcast host Adam Grandmaison, better known as Adam22, told Fox News Digital. “It’s for sure far more sinister than I ever could have imagined.”

DOG OWNER SAYS PET ACCIDENTALLY ATE MARIJUANA WHILE OUT FOR A WALK: ‘COULD HAVE DIED’

Idriss Qibaa is pictured on Adam Grandmaison’s No Jumper podcast, where he told the host that he made $600,000 per month from over 200 victims. (No Jumper )

Qibaa ran a website called Unlocked4Life.com, which was still active as of Monday. He promised to unlock clients’ social media accounts. But by his own admission, Qibaa was the one locking down the accounts to extort people out of thousands to get their access back.

Advertisement

He also offered to artificially inflate users’ views or followers for a cost, to gather personal information on others for customers and to get other users banned on customers’ behalf. 

In his interview with Grandmaison, Qibaa said he “has over 200 people who pay him monthly to maintain access to their accounts, claiming he makes more than $600,000,” according to the criminal complaint filed in Nevada’s district court.

When asked on the podcast why he would detail his illegal business model publicly, Qibaa said, “You guys can kill me; that’s the only option.”

KANSAS RAID TIED TO 98-YEAR-OLD’S DEATH IN FIRST AMENDMENT SHOWDOWN TO RESULT IN CRIMINAL CHARGES

Adam Grandmaison and Idriss Qibaa

Adam Grandmaison, also known as Adam22, appears alongside Idriss Qibaa in the January podcast that alerted authorities to his alleged illegal activities. (No Jumper )

“I wanted people to really understand what’s going on. … Nobody’s talked about it, nobody’s done an interview on it. … I was like, f— it,” Qibaa said in the January interview. “For me, if they want to come and take my account over, this this and that, you can’t take somebody out like me. It’s like cockroaches.”

Advertisement

The brazen hour-long interview tipped off the feds, according to their criminal complaint. Investigators tracked down a slew of victims – including a realtor, dentists, businessman, journalist and influencer, according the complaint – and quickly realized that the alleged extortionist was going further than just targeting their social media accounts. 

Allegedly, Qibaa destroyed victims’ property and threatened to harm and kill them and their loved ones. 

In one instance, according to the criminal complaint, Qibaa “made threats to shoot or injure [one victim’s] daughter, fiancé, dog, business partners and their families.”

US MURDER FUGITIVE ‘EL DIABLO’ FOUND WORKING AS MEXICAN POLICE OFFICER 20 YEARS LATER

Adam Grandmaison

Adam Grandmaison, also known as Adam22, hosts the “No Jumper” hip-hop podcast. (Adam Grandmaison/No Jumper)

Another target had her Instagram account locked and then was informed that a California dentist who previously treated the victim’s last employer had allegedly hired Qibaa to do so.

Advertisement

She was contacted by someone called “Unlocked” who would pepper her with more than 2,000 SMS messages, ultimately threatening to “blast out” her Social Security number if she didn’t pay $20,000.

In another case, he went to a victim’s house, grabbed a rock out of the driveway and smashed the windshields of a white Bentley and white Mercedes-Benz in an incident caught on security footage, the documents state.

Grandmaison told Fox News Digital he was glad that his interview with the alleged extortionist was “in any way useful to getting [Qibaa] off the streets.”

Grandmaison, who has interviewed singers and rappers like Usher and XXXtentacion, said he’s spoken with all walks of life in the underground world for his podcast, including “dudes who were hit men, serious drug traffickers, pimps and prostitutes.” 

But his interview with Qibaa, who went by “Dani” or “Unlocked,” stood out, according to a criminal complaint.

Advertisement

“Usually when you have a conversation with a rapper who is involved in some kind of illegal behavior, there is a constant elephant in the room, that this is stuff that should not be discussed on camera,” the podcast host said. “If they do try to say something, they would say it in a coded way.

“But this dude just blew my mind by being seemingly willing to discuss everything that his business consists of. You’re thinking, ‘Why would you want to share this?’”

“I was pretty baffled that he was willing to divulge so much of this s—,” he continued. 

Grandmaison said that after the January interview, Qibaa began to threaten him, too. 

Advertisement

“This has never happened to me before until I got into communication with this guy,” the host said. “He threatened to release my emails, he said he could stop my car while I was driving it … everything that he threatened me with was stuff that I knew was not possible.”

Although he was not a citizen, Qibaa lived in the U.S. legally, according to the complaint against him. 

“On multiple occasions through different means, Qibaa has stated if he feels any law enforcement pressure or is arrested and makes bail, he will flee back to Morocco and ‘live like a king,’” the FBI said.

Qibaa’s attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.

Read the full article from Here

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Wyoming

Make-A-Wish Wyoming Sends 8-Year-Old Glenrock Girl on Hawaiian Getaway

Published

on

Make-A-Wish Wyoming Sends 8-Year-Old Glenrock Girl on Hawaiian Getaway


At just three weeks old, an eight-year-old Glenrock girl named Clover was diagnosed with a respiratory condition that continues to shape her childhood to this day. From a three-week old baby to the eight-year-old she is now, Clover has fought through a weakened immune system, procedures and hospital stays, and other medical obstacles. However, today Clover is doing well, thanks to a strict diet, medications, and excellent medical care that keeps her healthy.

“Clover is feisty, and she is a fighter. She has to be tough because she will have this condition her entire life. Even at her young age, she has the mentality where she knows she needs to take her medications and follow her regimens morning and night to stay healthy. Clover has always been a princess, but the kind where she is a tough, fighter princess,” says Clover’s mom, Hannah.

Described as a true Wyoming princess, Clover’s strong personality has been a source of strength. When it came to choosing a wish from Make-A-Wish Wyoming, the obvious choice was Disney World, where Clover could meet all the Disney princesses. However, Clover also suffers from terrible motion sickness which makes enjoying rides at theme parks impossible. It was then that her adventurous spirit took over and inspired her wish. What better way to live like a princess for a week than to go to Hawaii and have an adventure like Moana!

Accompanied by her mom, dad, and two siblings, Clover traveled to the big island of Hawaii for her wish. Once on island time, she and her family enjoyed several activities like exploring the ocean, swimming with dolphins (which she said made her feel like Princess Ariel) and trying new foods to satisfy Clover’s foodie pallet. While in Kona, Clover and her family visited Rainbow Falls, the same place where the story of Maui from Moana originated. While exploring the rainy side of the island, they also visited a zoo where they enjoyed watching birds, monkeys, and tigers.

Of course, any Hawaiian trip isn’t complete without a luau. When the luau dancers began pulling people from the audience to go up and join in, Clover went up there and danced her heart out. This quickly became the highlight of her trip!

Advertisement

“This wish just provided our family amazing bonding time. For lack of better words, it proved that even though life has given us a lot of challenges that there is still some amazing things that can happen and to always stay positive,” says Hannah.

One wish can change a child’s life forever. Referrals can be made here.

Enchanting Wyoming Castle is a Fairytale Come True

Have you ever wanted to own your own castle? Well, you don’t even need to leave Wyoming to make that fairytale come true.

Mia the Walmart Dog

Photos from her Facebook Page





Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

San Francisco, CA

San Francisco Giants Farm System Ranking Takes Hit at Midseason

Published

on

San Francisco Giants Farm System Ranking Takes Hit at Midseason


The San Francisco Giants dropped a few spots in ESPN’s newest farm system rankings, which were based on the MLB Draft, the trade deadline and system graduates.

The Giants’ drop, to some degree, is based on a good thing — quality players graduated from their system.

Those graduates, based on Major League service time, including outfielder Tyler Fitzgerald, pitcher Kyle Harrison and pitcher Keaton Winn. Fitzgerald is having a huge second half of the season, while Harrison is a mainstay in the rotation. Winn is on the 60-day injured list.

Based on those graduations and other factors, the Giants dropped from No. 15 in the preseason to No. 20. That’s based on the system’s surplus value. In the preseason that value was $207 million and it is now $172 million.

Advertisement

So what is surplus value? FanGraphs calculated it based on several factors.

First, the site used historical data to determine what each prospect would do in the Majors if called up. Then, the system used that projection to determine what each player would make during their six controllable years as MLB players. Then, the site added up that value to reach the surplus value for each organization.

The departures of Fitzgerald, Harrison and Winn certainly had an impact. But another pitcher — Hayden Birdsong — is back with the Giants and if he pitches out the season he may graduate from the rankings, too.

San Francisco blunted the loss of some of that surplus value with some of the trades it made at the deadline. For instance, the Giants turned veteran pitcher Alex Cobb into left-handed pitching prospect Jacob Bresnahan, who immediately became the Giants’ No. 23 prospect per Baseball America.

Another new Top 30 prospect for San Francisco is third baseman Sabin Ceballos, who is No. 25. He came to the Giants as part of the deal that sent outfielder Jorge Soler and pitcher Luke Jackson to the Atlanta Braves.

Advertisement

The rise of other prospects in the system could help boost future value, too. Last year’s first-round pick, first baseman Bryce Eldredge, played in the MLB Futures Game last month at All-Star weekend. He is considered the Giants’ No. 1 prospect. He’s already been promoted once this season and he could earn another promotion to Double-A this season.

ESPN also took note of two draft picks that the Giants approached differently when it came to signing them. San Francisco went under-slot with first-round pick James Tibbs III and called him one of the draft’s “riskiest” picks, while going over slot for Dakota Jordan, a player ESPN wrote had “the best tools in the draft.”



Source link

Continue Reading

Denver, CO

BIG midweek cooldown across Colorado, Denver in the 70s

Published

on

BIG midweek cooldown across Colorado, Denver in the 70s


BIG midweek cooldown across Colorado, Denver in the 70s – CBS Colorado

Watch CBS News


Watch First Alert Meteorologist Joe Ruch’s full forecast.

Advertisement

Be the first to know

Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.




Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending