Bitcoin scammer and convicted pedophile Russ Medlin regularly sexually exploited minors during his time in Jakarta, police said, as more information has come to light following his arrest.
Speaking to the press yesterday, Jakarta Metro Police spokesman Yusri Yunus revealed that Medlin made sex tapes with underage girls in his South Jakarta home.
“When he was having sex [with one victim], he asked another victim to film,” Yusri said.
“His modus operandi was the same. He would film every time, including here in Indonesia. The victims and the culprit himself confessed to this. We found the evidence [in his phone].”
Police previously said that a 20-year-old local woman, identified as her initial A, introduced Medlin to two girls, aged 15 and 17, both of whom were with the suspect on the day of the arrest. The girls were promised IDR2 million (US$140) each to have sex with Medlin.
Police are now in pursuit of A and exploring the possibility that this case has a wider connection to child prostitution rings.
Medlin reportedly arrived in Jakarta in November 2019 with a tourist visa. Interpol issued a red notice for the American fugitive the following month.
It appears likely that Medlin has raped many more underage girls during his time in Jakarta. Medlin’s arrest on Sunday came after the police acted on a tip from neighbors who reported that young girls often came and went to his residence on Kebayoran Baru’ Jalan Brawijaya.
Medlin is wanted in the US by the FBI for his alleged role in defrauding investors out of US$722 million using a cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme dubbed the world’s biggest bitcoin scam.
Interpol also flagged Medlin as a child molester who had been convicted for the crime twice, in 2006 and 2008, the latter of which saw him serve two years in prison for the statutory rape of a 14-year-old girl and possession of child pornography.
The Jakarta Metro Police has charged Medlin with sexual assault on minors, which carries a maximum 15-year prison sentence. There is no official extradition treaty between the US and Indonesia, so it remains to be seen if a deal could be worked out between the two countries so Medlin could answer for his alleged massive financial scam in his home country.
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