2 Moncton-area men plead not guilty to 21 charges tied to online sextortion
Two Moncton-area men have pleaded not guilty to accusations they sexually exploited people online and threatened them into paying thousands of dollars.
Jean-Michel Gouin and Ketiboua Kesse both face a combined 21 charges and are scheduled to be tried together in Moncton provincial court late next year.
Defence lawyer Christian Libotte, representing Gouin, told Judge Anne Richard on Wednesday that his client, who was not in court, is entering a not guilty plea.
Defence lawyer Jules César, representing Kesse, said his client is also pleading not guilty.
Gouin, 28, is accused on his own of 19 charges tied to forcing a dozen people to pay amounts that at times exceeded $5,000. The alleged incidents took place between May 1, 2022 and April 10, 2023.
He also faces a charge of breaching conditions of release by failing to notify a peace officer of a change of address, employment or occupation.
Kesse, 27, and Gouin are jointly charged with money laundering and possession of property obtained by crime.
The two men were arrested by RCMP in the Moncton area on March 2, 2023, after receiving a tip from a police force in Quebec. Police alleged the pair were setting up a "network" aimed at sexually extorting youth in New Brunswick.
Ketiboua Kesse, 27, leaves Moncton provincial court on Wednesday. Kesse faces charges of money laundering and possession of property obtained by crime. (Pascal Raiche-Nogue/Radio-Canada)
The alleged victims include nine men and three women, three of whom were defrauded and threatened into paying more than $5,000.
In court on Wednesday, Richard set trial dates for Sept. 22 to Oct. 3, 2025.
A pre-trial conference was also scheduled for May 27, 2025.
The previous hearing in the case was adjourned after the defence asked for more time to review a lengthy disclosure from the Crown.
Libotte said the disclosure for the case is "voluminous" and includes bank records, videos, messages and documents.
"It is still 14,000 pages and many, many things have to be looked at to prepare for the trial," he told reporters outside the courthouse.
