Viswa Vanapalli
Investigation Discovery’s ‘Web of Lies: The Model Predator’ probes the disturbing case of Anton Martynenko. On the surface, he was a loan officer who worked at a mortgage lending firm. But, he also exploited teenage boys through fake social media accounts by forcing them to send their nude images to him. On the show, Grant Abens, Tommy Wiita, and Kourtney Lofgren share their stories from the time they came into contact with Anton as teenagers. Curious to know where they are now and what they might be doing? Here’s everything we know!
Who Are Grant Abens, Tommy Wiita, and Kourtney Lofgren?
Grant Abens was first contacted by a woman named Courtney Jansgen when he was just a 15-year-old school kid in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, in 2012. He accepted a friend request from her on Facebook, and Courtney then offered him $1000 for a photo shoot. She told him that she was a manager of a modeling agency, but before she could schedule a shoot, he had to send her nude images of himself.
While Grant was hesitant, Courtney reassured him, and he eventually sent her his images. Later on, she stopped contacting him after he decided not to do the shoot. After a while, he was contacted by someone else called Dustin, who was a high school hockey player. Dustin offered him money in return for sexual favors, and when Grant turned him down, his nude images from before were shared with all of his friends online.
Similarly, Tommy Wiita was another victim. He was a 17-year-old high school student in Rosemount, Minnesota, when he was contacted by Courtney with a similar offer. With him, Courtney was flirty as well, and on the show, he stated that they had exchanged naked pictures with each other, but she eventually stopped talking to him, and the shoot never happened. It would come back to hurt him later when Kourtney Lofgren, another student at the same school and a friend of Tommy’s, told him about Courtney sending his images to her.
Kourtney was also contacted by Jansgen through Facebook in 2012. She told Kourtney she was looking for athletic young male models. Jansgen offered to pay Kourtney $100 for referring teenagers to her. But eventually, the conversations got weirder when Jansgen started to share naked images of Tommy and some other people with her. She contacted the police with the information, but nothing came of it at the time. About three years later, in 2015, she received a message from another person under the name of Maria Anne, telling her about having images of boys who were in the same school as her.
Kourtney felt that Jansgen and Maria were one and the same. Eventually, the school was contacted, and then the police were brought into the fold. The accounts led back to Anton Martynenko, who lived in Eagan, Minnesota. He pleaded guilty to the production, distribution, and advertising of child pornography. He was sent to prison for 38 years in 2016. Anton had exploited over 150 teenage boys by the time he was arrested.
Where Are Grant Abens, Tommy Wiita, and Kourtney Lofgren Now?
Grant Abens was present at Anton’s hearing. He said that he felt honored to be able to speak for other victims who could not make it. He mentioned being relieved that Anton would not be able to threaten and extort teenagers anymore. Grant went on to get a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Minnesota Duluth. He now works as a Manufacturing Engineer in Minnesota.
Tommy Wiita stated on the show that he never told his parents about what happened. Later on, he said that he chose to spoke out in hopes of helping other victims in a similar situation. Tommy graduated with a Mass Media and Journalism degree from Minnesota State University – Mankato in 2017. He is currently working as a jounralist in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Kourtney Lofgren was instrumental in bringing the issue to the authorities’ attention that eventually led to the conviction of Anton. She has since moved on from the incident and seems to have relocated to California from Minnesota. She is pursuing her doctoral degree in Clinical Forensic Psychology and hopes to become a forensic psychologist.
Read More: Where is Anton Martynenko Now?
