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Chicago The man admitted targeting “dozens” of gay men as part of a cyberstalking and sextortion scheme and threatened to expose their secret sexual orientation and leak explicit images of them.
Court documents Details of Omoruyi Uwadia’s interactions with the eight unidentified victims are not known, but federal prosecutors said Uwadia has several other unidentified victims, who pleaded guilty in the federal case on May 22.
According to court documents, in one case Uwadia sent photos of the victim to his mother. In other incidents he sent photos of the victims to their brother and sister.
According to court records, he messaged one of his victims, “Did your sister tell you I sent her nude pictures of you?”
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According to the FBI, a Chicago man has admitted to his role in a sextortion scheme, a crime that is on the rise. (Ute Grabowsky/Photothek)
Another victim received a message from Uvadia that read, “As I said if I get paid or meet you again, everything will be deleted. It’s up to you.”
He used multiple fake accounts on several other apps including Grindr, Instagram and Snapchat to convince his targets to send him messages. Clear PhotosCourt records show he used it for blackmail.
Federal prosecutors said in a press release that Uwadi “demanded money from some victims.” “From others he demanded that they meet him, have sex with him or make damaging confessions such as admitting that they are racist.”
According to prosecutors, he carried out his threats multiple times, and he sent X-rated images to friends and family of his victims.
Some of the victims had not told their family and friends that they were gay or bisexual, but Uwadia told them.
Court documents in the federal criminal case against Omoruyi O. Uwadia, 28, detail a sextortion scam against eight of “dozens” victims. (United States Attorney’s Office Southern District of Ohio)
One of his victims was Ohio State University According to court documents, this was a student whose life was ruined because he did not pay Uwadi $200 or have sex with her.
According to court documents, Uvadia had revealed the student’s sexual orientation by uploading photos of the victim on fake social media accounts and saying, “This boy is gay, see the photos for proof.”
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Sextortion: Findings from a survey of 1,631 victims by the Crimes Against Children Research Center and Thorn. This issue is becoming a bigger problem as technology, especially artificial intelligence, becomes more sophisticated. (Center for Research on Crimes against Children and Thorn)
The 28-year-old Chicago man pleaded guilty to 22 counts of cyberstalking, including making interstate communications with the intent to extort and illegally using a means of identification.
He will be sentenced at a future date. Cyberstalking is punishable by up to five years in prison, making interstate communications with the intent to commit extortion is punishable by up to two years, and illegally using a means of identification is punishable by up to five years.
His lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment.
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Sextortion scams are typically motivated by money, and males aged 14 to 17 are more likely to fall victim, the study suggests. The FBI The report was released in January.
Capture of Uvadia and Guilty plea This is a strange thing. According to the FBI, in most cases it is nearly impossible to locate the suspects, because the suspects live outside the United States.
According to the FBI, between October 2021 and March 2023, the FBI and Homeland Security received more than 13,000 reports of extortion of minors, leading to at least 20 suicides.
“The FBI has seen an alarming increase in reports of financial sextortion schemes,” Special Agent Douglas DePodesta of the FBI Memphis Field Office said in a statement. (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
The FBI said the number of cases between October 2022 and March 2023 increased by more than 20% compared to the same period last year.
“The FBI has seen an alarming increase in reports of financial sextortion schemes,” Special Agent Douglas DePodesta of the FBI Memphis Field Office said in a statement.
“The safety of children is one of the FBI’s highest priorities. We need parents and caregivers to work with us to prevent this crime before it happens and to help children come forward if it does happen.”
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Federal law enforcement agencies urge anyone who is a victim of sextortion or financially motivated extortion, or knows a victim, to immediately report the crime by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI or visiting tips.fbi.gov.
The FBI has a website dedicated to sextortion threats and resources (which can be used) found here,
