A 22-year-old man from Mobile, Alabama has pleaded guilty to federal charges after prosecutors say he hijacked social-media accounts and extorted hundreds of teens and young adults across several states, including a 20-year-old woman in Kennesaw. Authorities say the scheme ran from at least April 2022 through May 2025 and centered on stealing account recovery codes and private images, then threatening to post them online unless victims paid up or sent sexually explicit content. The defendant, identified in court filings as Jamarcus Mosley, is scheduled to be sentenced on May 27, 2026.
How investigators say he operated
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Georgia, Mosley posed as friends and convinced victims to hand over Snapchat and Instagram recovery passcodes, which he then used to enter their accounts and pull private photos and videos. Once he had control, prosecutors say he used the material as leverage, threatening to blast it out publicly if his demands were not met.
In one Kennesaw case, federal officials say Mosley told the 20-year-old victim, "I got 65 videos and [a] picture of you about to get posted," after he seized control of her account.
Scope of the scheme and reach
The case stretches across multiple states, including Georgia, Florida and Illinois, and federal filings say some of the victims were minors. As reported by WSB-TV, Mosley sometimes followed through on his threats and publicly posted stolen images when victims refused to comply. Authorities say he also used hijacked accounts to contact family members, a move that signaled he knew exactly where some of his victims lived.
Local authorities respond
The investigation was led by the Kennesaw Police Department, with help from the U.S. Secret Service, and the case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex R. Sistla. U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg described Mosley as "the dangerous online stranger who every parent fears," and Kennesaw Police Chief Bill Westenberger said the case "highlights the serious and devastating impact cyber exploitation can have on victims, especially young people." Those statements appear in the press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Georgia.
Next court steps
Court records show Mosley is set to be sentenced on May 27, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. before U.S. District Judge Michael L. Brown. WSB-TV reported that federal prosecutors detailed the conduct in filings tied to Mosley’s guilty plea.
How families can protect kids online
Experts and federal agencies advise families to lock down privacy settings, avoid sharing passwords or recovery codes, and turn off location sharing on apps used by teens. The Department of Homeland Security's online safety guidance recommends keeping profiles private, not posting personal details such as home addresses or school names, and reporting threatening or harassing content both to the platform and to local law enforcement. Families who suspect someone has been targeted are urged to save screenshots and contact local police so investigators can collect and preserve evidence.
