A Nigerian scammer named Hassanbunhussein Abolore Lawal allegedly posed as a woman and convinced 17-year-old Gavin Guffey to send nude photos. Lawal then extorted him, threatening to release the photos if he didn't pay. Gavin, unfortunately, fatally shot himself as a result on July 27, 2022. Now, his father, Representative Brandon Guffey, is seeking justice. Lawal was extradited and now faces life in prison.
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Brandon Guffey appeared in court on Monday, January 27, in South Carolina. For the first time, he was able to see the man allegedly behind his son's extortion and subsequent suicide. "Rage is the best way to describe how I felt," Guffey told CNN. "I think I cracked molars just gritting my teeth so hard."
Guffey said that Lawal, with his head bowed, wasn't capable of making eye contact with him or looking in the Guffey family's direction. Lawal, however, pleaded not guilty to his charge. These include, according to the outlet, child exploitation resulting in death, distribution of child sexual abuse material, coercion and enticement of a minor, interstate threats with intent to extort and aiding/abetting, and cyberstalking.
Guffey then opened up about the situation, wondering if it was possible to forgive a man who is allegedly responsible for the death of his 17-year-old son.
"I'm a roller coaster of emotions right now. I served in the house with a representative who lost his mother and sister in the Dylann Roof shootings down in Charleston. And those families were able to look at Dylann Roof and say, we forgive you," Guffeys said. "I want to ask ... 'How do you have forgiveness in your heart?' Because I just don't have it. I have anger and vengeance. And every time I see my family's pain over this, it just infuriates me more."
Sexual Extortion
Back in 2022, Hassanbunhussein Abolore Lawal allegedly contacted Gavin Guffey, posing as a woman. He sent nude photos of the woman he was posing as and asked Gavin for nude photos. He sent them over eventually, causing Lawal to allegedly start extorting the 17-year-old for money.
CNN reports that Gaving made one Venmo payment of $25, all the money he had at the time. The extortion continued, however, and the pressure was too much to take. On July 27, sent a heart (<3) on a black background to his younger brother and friends. He then locked himself in a bathroom and fatally shot himself. His father, Brandon, found his son bleeding on the bathroom floor.
Brandon Guffey then attempted to seek justice for his son, soon finding out about the blackmail and extortion that had been going on in the background. Soon, he and his younger son started receiving messages from the scammer, allegedly Lawal. On one occasion, he received a message that read, "Did I tell you your son begged for his life," followed by a laughing face emoji.
Extradited
Guffey has since fought for justice since then. After two years of struggles and heartbreak, Lawal was arrested in Lagos, Nigeria, by the FBI. Guffey signed paperwork confirming that he wouldn't push for the death penalty to secure extradition from the Nigerian government. Surprisingly, this worked.
"It was a surprise. I knew that they had been working on the process, but extradition was not something that commonly happens with Nigeria," Guffey said. "There was still that anticipation and fear until his feet were actually on US soil."
Reportedly, agents took control of Gavin Guffey's social media accounts, posing as him and tracking Lawal down. He now faces a minimum of 30 years in prison up to life imprisonment.
