Man solicited nude photos of men he met online, then extorted them for money, feds say
A man accused of targeting men online, obtaining nude photos of them and then extorting them is going to prison, Ohio officials say.
Omoruyi O. Uwadiae pleaded guilty to eight counts of cyberstalking, seven counts of interstate communications with intent to extort and seven counts of unlawful transfer, possession, or use of a means of identification, according to court records.
He was sentenced to more than four years in prison on Dec. 10 .
McClatchy News reached out to Uwadiae’s attorney for comment but did not immediately hear back.
In 2019, Uwadiae used online platforms such as Grindr and Snapchat to target gay and bisexual men, according to court records.
In March 2019, a man Uwadiae met on Grindr sent him nude photos and his number, a criminal complaint said. Uwadiae then told the man, “pay me $200 and I wont post (the) pics, vids, number, and name online,” the court document said.
The man did not pay and the next day Uwadiae sent him a text with a link to an online platform where he uploaded videos of the man engaged in sexual activity along with his personal information, according to the complaint.
In April 2019, Uwadiae communicated with a 17-year-old juvenile on Snapchat and asked the juvenile to send him sexually explicit photos, the criminal complaint said.
He then told the juvenile to send him money or he would share the photos, court records said. The juvenile refused and Uwadiae began sending the photos to people, including the juvenile’s family members, friends and classmates, according to the complaint.
Uwadiae then created a public Facebook page and posted a photo of the juvenile engaging in sexual activity, according to prosecutors.
In May 2019, Uwadiae communicated with another man on Grindr and Instagram. He later created fake social media profiles using the man’s image and accusing him of being racist, court records said.
Uwadiae shared a photo of the man on Grindr with the text, “Be careful around this guy. He’s a racist,” according to the complaint.
In one case, Uwadiae threatened to expose a man for being bisexual unless the man agreed to engage in sexual acts with him or pay $200.
Uwadiae victimized eight people, according to court records.
This story was originally published December 18, 2024 at 3:16 PM with the headline "Man solicited nude photos of men he met online, then extorted them for money, feds say."
