Police say a former Louisiana State Police cadet has been arrested after sending lewd photos of a former army coworker in what investigators call a blackmail attempt.
According to LSP, the U.S. Army contacted investigators on June 5 about an ongoing investigation into 26-year-old Jimmy M. Kassis of Thibodaux, La.
The army’s investigation alleged that Kassis, who was formerly employed with the U.S. Army, mailed nude images of the victim to the victim’s U.S. Army General in Feb. 2018. The army’s investigation also alleged that Kassis was also in the process of sending the same lewd photos to the victim’s supervisor at another job.
Investigators believe that Kassis sent the images to blackmail the victim.
Kassis was a Louisiana State Police cadet who was attending the agency’s training academy that began on May 27.
After learning about the U.S. Army investigation in June, LSP said Kassis’ employment was terminated and SVU opened its own investigation. State police seized several electronic devices and had them examined.
On Aug. 6, investigators obtained an arrest warrant for Kassis but later learned that he had fled Louisiana. On Aug. 31, officers in Van Buren Township, Michigan contacted LSP sand said that Kassis had been arrested on an outstanding warrant.
Kassis was extradited back to Louisiana on Sept. 14 and booked into the Lafourche Parish Prison on charges of nonconsensual disclosure of a private image.
