A 23-year-old West Palm Beach man is facing two felony charges after a 14-year-old girl told Jupiter police he pressured her into sending explicit images and then threatened to show them to her parents. Cameron Mohammed Rahman was arrested on one count of lewd or lascivious battery and one count of lewd or lascivious molestation following an investigation that began when the teen came forward in January.
According to WPBF, the teen reported the alleged incidents to Jupiter police on January 23, 2026. She told investigators she believed Rahman was 16 years old when the two began communicating, and that she only learned later he was older. Per the girl's account, she had multiple encounters with Rahman before their relationship soured.
Threats and Warnings, According to the Teen
The girl told investigators Rahman became aggressive and threatening as their communication continued, and that he pressured her into sending explicit images of herself. Per her account, Rahman then warned her not to tell anyone about their relationship and threatened to share the images with her parents if she did. The station's report also notes the girl said Rahman showed her photos of firearms during their exchanges.
The 14-year-old later participated in a forensic interview and underwent a medical exam as part of the investigation, according to the same account. Jupiter police reviewed Snapchat messages, cellphone records and surveillance footage as detectives worked to confirm the girl's account and identify a suspect, per the probable cause affidavit cited in the report.
How Investigators Built the Case
Detectives identified Rahman as the suspect during the course of the investigation, per the probable cause affidavit, and later obtained a DNA sample from him. Forensic testing and laboratory reports were included in the case file, according to police. Investigators say they developed probable cause to charge Rahman with both lewd or lascivious molestation and lewd or lascivious battery before his arrest.
What Florida Law Allows Prosecutors to Charge
Under Florida Statute § 800.04(4), lewd or lascivious battery involving a victim between 12 and 15 years old by an adult is classified as a second-degree felony, carrying up to 15 years in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000, according to Online Sunshine. The same statute explicitly bars defendants from arguing that a minor consented or that they mistakenly believed the victim was older, a restriction meant to close off common defense strategies in these cases.
Florida does not have a dedicated sextortion statute, so prosecutors typically pursue threats to expose explicit images or personal secrets under the state's extortion law, Florida Statute § 836.05, itself a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison, according to Pumphrey Law. It remains unclear whether additional charges tied to the alleged threats will be filed as the case moves through the Palm Beach County court system.
A Wider Pattern of Online Coercion Cases
Rahman's arrest lands amid a documented surge in reports of online sextortion targeting minors. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children logged more than 50,000 sextortion reports in 2025 — an average of 137 a day — with 94 percent filed directly by minor victims or their parents, according to NCMEC. The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center separately received more than 75,000 sextortion-related submissions in 2025, referring over 5,700 cases involving minors to NCMEC.
Florida lawmakers have moved to limit unsupervised contact between adults and minors online. House Bill 3, which took effect January 1, 2025, bars children under 14 from creating social media accounts and requires parental consent for 14- and 15-year-olds, per Socially Aware. The girl in this case was reportedly 14 at the time of the alleged incidents.
The case is one of several similar prosecutions Hoodline has tracked in Palm Beach County in recent months, including a former juvenile facility worker's case charged under the same statutory framework. All allegations against Rahman remain claims contained in the probable cause affidavit, and further filings from the State Attorney's Office are expected to determine whether additional charges will be added.
