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A Chicago man admitted to attacking “dozens” of gay men in a cyberstalking and sextortion scheme and threatened to expose his hidden sexual orientation and leak his explicit photographs.
Court documents detail Omoruyi Uwadiae's interactions with eight unnamed victims, but federal prosecutors said there are many other unknown victims of Udawiae, who pleaded guilty in a federal case on May 22.
In one case, Uwadiae sent images of a victim to his mother, according to court documents. In other incidents, she sent photographs of the victims to her siblings.
“Did your sister tell you about the nudes I sent her lol?” he texted one of his victims, according to court records.
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A Chicago man admitted his role in a sextortion scheme, a crime that has been on the rise, according to the FBI. (Ute Grabowsky/Photo Library)
Another victim received a message from Uwadiae that read: “Like I said, if I get paid or see you again, it's all erased. It's up to you.”
He used several different fake accounts on apps like Grindr, Instagram and Snapchat, among other apps, to convince his targets to send him explicit photos, which he used as blackmail, court records show.
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Uwadie “demanded money from some victims,” federal prosecutors said in a news release. “He demanded that others meet him, have sexual relations with him, or make damaging confessions, such as admitting they were racist.”
He followed through on his threats several times, according to prosecutors, who said he sent the X-rated photos to the victims' friends and family.
Some of the victims did not tell family and friends that they were gay or bisexual, but Uwadiae outed them.
Court documents in the federal criminal case against Omoruyi O. Uwadiae, 28, detail the sextortion scam against eight of the “dozens” of victims. (United States Attorney's Office, Southern District of Ohio)
One of his victims was an Ohio State University student whose life was ruined because he did not pay Uwadie $200 or have sex with him, according to court documents.
Uwadiae exposed the student's sexual orientation by uploading photos of the victim to fake social media accounts while saying, “This guy is gay, see the photos as evidence,” court documents say.
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Sextortion: Results from a survey of 1,631 victims conducted by the Crimes Against Children Research Center and Thorn. The problem continues to grow into a bigger problem as technology, especially artificial intelligence, becomes more sophisticated. (Crimes Against Children Research Center and Thorn)
The 28-year-old Chicago man pleaded guilty to 22 counts of cyberstalking, conducting interstate communications with intent to extort and unlawfully using a means of identification.
He will be sentenced at a future date. Cyberbullying carries a prison sentence of up to five years, conducting interstate communications with the intent to extort up to two years, and unlawfully using a means of identification up to five years.
His lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment.
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Sextortion scams are often motivated by money, and males between the ages of 14 and 17 are most likely to be victims, according to an FBI report released in January.
Uwadiae's capture and guilty plea are a rarity. Most cases are virtually untraceable 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 that led to at least 20 suicides, according to the FBI.
“The FBI has seen a horrific 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)
Between October 2022 and March 2023, the number of cases increased more than 20% compared to the same period a year earlier, the FBI said.
“The FBI has seen a horrific 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. We need parents and caregivers to work with us to prevent this crime before it happens and help children report it if it happens.”
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Federal authorities urge anyone who is a victim or knows 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 a website dedicated to sextortion threats and resources (which can be found here).
