Troopers from the Louisiana State Police Bureau of Investigations – Special Victims Unit (SVU) arrested a Thibodaux man after an investigation revealed that he forwarded lewd photographs of a former US Army coworker in an apparent blackmail attempt.

26-year-old Jimmy M. Kassis was placed under arrest as a result of the investigation. Kassis was a former Louisiana State Police Cadet, but his employment was terminated in June 2018 immediately upon LSP learning of an active US Army investigation regarding him.

The initial LSP SVU investigation began in June when authorities were contacted by the United States Army in reference to an ongoing investigation they were conducting. The US Army investigation involved Kassis, who at the time was a Cadet attending the LSP Training Academy that began in May. The US Army investigation revealed that in February, Kassis, formerly employed with the Army, mailed nude images of the victim to the victim’s US Army General. The US Army also determined Kassis was in the process of sending the same images to the victim’s supervisor at a separate place of employment. It is believed the images were sent in order to blackmail the victim.

Upon learning of the US Army investigation into Kassis, Investigators with Louisiana State Police SVU opened an investigation. SVU Investigators obtained and executed search warrants on Kassis’ cell phone and residence in Thibodaux, LA. Several electronic devices were seized and forensically examined. Last month, investigators obtained an arrest warrant for Kassis in Lafourche Parish charging him with  Nonconsensual disclosure of a private image.  At this point, however, investigators learned that Kassis had fled Louisiana.

On August 31^st, police officers in Van Buren Township, MI contacted LSP SVU Investigators advising that they had arrested Kassis for the outstanding warrant. On September 14^th, Kassis was extradited back to Louisiana by LSP personnel with the assistance of Michigan State Police. Kassis was booked into the Lafourche Parish prison for the outstanding warrant.