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A Chicago man has admitted to targeting “dozens” of gay men in a cyberstalking and sexual blackmail scheme, threatening to expose their hidden sexual orientation and leak explicit photos of them.
Court documents detail Omoruyi Uwadiaye’s interactions with eight unnamed victims, but federal prosecutors said Uwadiaye, who pleaded guilty in federal court on May 22, has many other unknown victims.
In one incident, Uwadiaye sent photos of the victim to her mother, and in another incident, he sent photos of the victim to her siblings, according to court documents.
According to court documents, the man texted one of the victims asking, “Did your sister tell you about the nude pictures I sent her?”
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A Chicago man has admitted to participating in a sex extortion scheme, a crime on the rise, according to the FBI. (Ute Grabowski/Phototech)
Another victim received a message from Uwadiaye saying: “As I said, if I get paid or see you again I will delete everything. It’s up to you.”
According to court documents, the man used multiple fake accounts on apps including Grindr, Instagram and Snapchat to convince his targets to send him explicit photos, which he used to blackmail them.
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In a press release, federal prosecutors said Uwadi “demanded money from some of his victims” and “demanded meetings with others, sexual relations or confessed damaging facts about them, such as being racist.”
Prosecutors said the defendant carried out the threats on multiple occasions and sent obscene photos to the victim’s friends and family.
Some of the victims had not told their families or friends that they were gay or bisexual, but Uwadiaye exposed them.
Court documents in the federal criminal case against Omoruyi O. Uwadiaye, 28, detail the sex blackmail scams perpetrated against eight of the dozens of victims. (U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio)
One of the victims, an Ohio State University student, said her life was ruined when Uwadi failed to pay her $200 and perform sex acts on her, according to court documents.
According to court documents, Uwadiaye uploaded photos of the student victim to fake social media accounts and revealed his sexual orientation, saying, “This man is gay. See the photos for proof.”
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The 28-year-old Chicago man pleaded guilty to 22 counts of cyberstalking, interstate communication with intent to extort and illegal use of identification.
He faces a future sentencing. Cyberstalking is punishable by up to five years in prison, interstate communication with intent to blackmail is punishable by up to two years in prison, and unlawful use of an identification instrument is punishable by up to five years in prison.
His lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment.
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According to an FBI report released in January, sex blackmail scams are typically motivated by money and the most likely victims are males between the ages of 14 and 17.
Uwadiaye’s arrest and guilty plea are unusual because the FBI says most cases involve suspects living outside the United States, making them virtually impossible to trace.
Between October 2021 and March 2023, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security received more than 13,000 reports of extortion against minors that led to at least 20 suicides, according to the FBI.
“The FBI has seen an alarming increase in reports of financial sextortion schemes,” Special Agent in Charge Douglas DePodesta of the FBI’s Memphis field office said in a statement. (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
According to the FBI, the number of incidents jumped more than 20% from October 2022 to March 2023 compared to the same period last year.
“The FBI has seen an alarming increase in reports of financial sextortion schemes,” Special Agent in Charge Douglas DePodesta of the FBI’s Memphis field office said in a statement.
“Protecting children is one of the FBI’s top priorities, and we need parents and guardians to help us prevent crimes before they happen and empower their children to come forward if they do.”
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Federal law enforcement agencies urge anyone who is or knows someone who is a victim of sextortion or financial extortion to report the crime immediately by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI or visiting tips.fbi.gov.
The FBI has identified sextortion threats and resources Found here).
