A high-stakes transnational sextortion case has opened in a Dutch court, prompting law enforcement from the Netherlands and the United States to launch a coordinated cross-border social media campaign to locate and support uncounted unidentified victims, many of whom are underage young women. The 22-year-old Dutch suspect, publicly identified only as Damian A. in compliance with the Netherlands’ strict privacy regulations, went on trial Wednesday in the city of Dordrecht. He was arrested in early 2023, and both prosecution and defense teams confirm he has confessed to all charges against him; a verdict is expected to be delivered within weeks.
Authorities from both countries say the sprawling scheme traces back to a simple but devastating manipulation tactic: Damian A. allegedly pretended to be a young woman matching the age of his targets to trick them into sharing explicit photos of themselves online. Once he obtained the images, he used blackmail to force his victims into completing increasingly degrading acts. Reports confirm he required some victims to write the phrase “Owned by Turpien” — the online alias he used to operate — on their bodies or handmade signs during these abusive acts. He also reportedly sold explicit images of the victims to other internet users, amplifying the harm inflicted on the survivors. To date, investigations launched from an initial tip from U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) have confirmed at least 50 victims between the ages of 13 and 20, spread across six nations: the United States, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Germany, Montenegro and Canada.
Evidence pulled from the suspect’s seized electronic devices has led investigators to believe dozens more victims have not yet come forwrad or been identified. That is why Rotterdam Police’s Sexual Crimes Team has launched a public social media outreach campaign to locate these unknown survivors. Team representative Milou van der Kolk told the Associated Press that law enforcement holds deep concern for the unreported victims, noting the extreme, prolonged trauma the known survivors have endured. Beyond locating and supporting victims, the campaign also aims to reassure any unknown survivors that their abuser is already in custody and cannot harm them further. The Dutch campaign includes direct contact information, such as dedicated phone lines and web links, for victims to access confidential support services, and it aligns with an ongoing U.S. initiative called Know2Protect that specifically targets online child exploitation.
Eben Roberts, HSI’s attaché based in The Hague, emphasized that this cross-border case underscores the critical need for robust international law enforcement collaboration to protect vulnerable young people online and hold cross-border offenders accountable. “HSI is committed to solidify these partnerships to bring these child predators to face justice,” Roberts said in a written statement to the AP.
Court documents outline that a court-ordered psychiatric assessment of the suspect found he lives with an autism spectrum disorder and a clinical sexual sadism disorder. Prosecutors have requested the presiding judges hand down a nine-year prison sentence paired with court-mandated compulsory psychiatric treatment. Damian A. faces a wide slate of charges, including online sexual assault, online rape, extortion, and the production, possession, and distribution of child pornography.
The case draws attention to a fast-growing public safety crisis targeting young people globally. Dutch prosecutors note that sextortion has become an increasingly urgent societal problem: the Netherlands alone recorded more than 3,000 online sex crime cases linked to this tactic in 2025, representing a 46% jump in reported cases compared to the previous year.