A Nigerian man, Hassanbunhussein Abolore Lawal, has been extradited to the U.S. and charged with causing the death of a South Carolina teen who took his own life after being extorted for nude photos. Lawal allegedly posed as a woman to trick the teen. The victim was the son of South Carolina Rep. Brandon Guffey, who has been a vocal advocate for laws addressing sextortion and social media protection for minors. Lawal arrived in the U.S. on Saturday and faced charges in court on Monday.
Guffey, holding a picture of his late son, wore a button representing the foundation he created to combat online sexual exploitation and support victimized teens. “I can’t save Gavin, but I can hope to save other kids and prevent that light from being extinguished,” Guffey said at a news conference following Lawal’s court appearance.
Lawal is charged with child exploitation resulting in death. He faces 30 years to life in prison if convicted. Nigeria would only extradite Lawal if the U.S. didn’t seek the death penalty.
Lawal faces multiple charges, including production and distribution of child sexual abuse material, coercion of a minor, cyberstalking resulting in death, and interstate threats with intent to extort. He was assigned a public defender who declined to comment.
His appearance in a U.S. courtroom followed over two years of investigation. The case began when Guffey found his son dead after breaking down the bathroom door, less than two hours after being contacted by a scammer on Instagram. According to the FBI, the scammer, posing as a female volleyball player, convinced the teen to send explicit photos and then demanded more money to prevent the images from being shared. When the teen sent $25, the scammer escalated the demand to $100.
The teen told the scammer he could send an additional $25 in a few days, but as the threats continued, he expressed he’d rather die than endure the extortion, mentioning a gun in his lap. Despite this, the threats persisted, according to FBI statements.
Even after the teen’s death, Lawal allegedly continued to message the family, threatening to release the photos while Guffey was campaigning for a South Carolina House seat. The FBI said a sting operation led to Lawal’s identification, with an arrest warrant issued in August 2023 after questioning him in Nigeria.
In his first year as a representative, Guffey pushed for “Gavin’s Law,” making it a felony to extort individuals with nude photos, with harsher penalties for minors. The bill passed just three months into his term.
This extradition marks a rare instance of Nigeria sending a sextortion suspect to the U.S., signaling that such crimes will not go unpunished. “You can no longer hide in a basement in a faraway country without fear of being arrested and brought here to face the families you’ve torn apart,” said State Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel.
