Unnamed 'High-Profile' CEO Threatened With Leak Of Explicit Photos In 'Catfishing' Scam

An unnamed "high-profile" CEO of a publicly traded company has reportedly been blackmailed and threatened with the leak of his sexually explicit photos in a catfishing and extortion scheme in Manhattan.

Sakoya Blackwood, a 34-year-old Bronx woman, has been arrested on Wednesday, Aug. 31, after she allegedly used “multiple online identities” to target wealthy and powerful men, including a high-flying executive, whose identity has been withheld from the public, to get intimate photos from them and later use the compromising pictures to extort them and threaten to destroy their reputations.

Blackwood reportedly used the aliases “Koya Blackwood Fews” and "Lila Cohen" while she interacted with the victims online, the New York Post reported.

The indictment was unsealed in Manhattan federal court on Wednesday, Aug. 31. However, the authorities have withheld the name of the CEO targeted in the scheme, as well as the name of the publicly traded company the executive leads.

According to FBI Assistant Director Michael J. Driscoll, Blackwood’s seduction scheme started in March earlier this year. In addition to allegedly threatening to expose sexually explicit photos of her victims, Blackwood allegedly intimidated and threatened them with economic harm as well, the Daily News reported.

“Most people hope for a personal human connection in life, and scam artists twist that desire into illicit schemes to steal more than hearts. We believe Blackwood used tactics we allege in this indictment to blackmail and extort money from other victims,” Driscoll said.

“We are asking those people to contact us so we can help them but also to ensure no one else ever falls victim to Blackwood’s alleged deception,” he added.

Blackwood has been charged with interstate communications with the intent to extort, cyberstalking, and extortion. Blackwood was recently released by U.S. Magistrate Judge Jennifer Willis to house arrest on a US$75,000 bond. However, she is prohibited from using the internet until her case is closed.

If convicted of making interstate communications with intent to extort, Blackwood faces a maximum sentence of two years in prison. In addition to this, she faces five years on the cyberstalking charge, up to 20 years for extortion, and also possible deportation to her native Jamaica.