Latest news with #extortion
CTV News
3 hours ago
- General
- CTV News
Growing concern over cyberbullying in White Rock
Growing concern over cyberbullying in White Rock Police are urging parents to keep a close eye on their children's social media use amid an uptick in reports of online bullying and extortion.
Malay Mail
20 hours ago
- General
- Malay Mail
Jail, caning for Singapore man who extorted girl, 16, after she withdrew from ‘sugar daddy' deal
SINGAPORE, June 2 — A man who extorted a 16-year-old girl by falsely claiming he was taking legal action against her after she backed out of a 'sugar daddy' arrangement was sentenced to jail and caning on Monday. Marc Justine Landrio Chandramohan, 27, was handed a jail term of two years, 11 months and 10 weeks, and three strokes of the cane, according to a report published in Channel News Asia today. He will begin serving his sentence on Friday after being granted a few days to settle his debts. The Singaporean had earlier pleaded guilty to seven charges, including communicating with a minor to obtain commercial sex, abetting the distribution of obscene images and videos, extortion, cheating, making obscene films, and abetting unauthorised access to a computer function. Another nine charges — mostly linked to making obscene films — were taken into consideration for sentencing by Principal District Judge Victor Yeo Khee Eng. Three victims were involved in the case, including the girl who was extorted. Two others were filmed by Chandramohan during sex acts. Their identities are protected by a gag order. Judge Yeo noted Chandramohan's 'premeditated and predatory behaviour', saying he preyed on a young and naive victim and continued to pressure her for sex and money even though she owed him 'absolutely nothing'. The victim's relationship with her family was affected, and she reported feeling that her body was 'dirty', becoming sensitive to physical touch and panicking when she saw someone who resembled Chandramohan. Yeo said deterrence was the predominant sentencing consideration, both for the accused and for would-be offenders. He acknowledged Chandramohan's remorse and readiness to face punishment. The court previously heard that Chandramohan began chatting with the victim on Instagram in July 2021, proposing to pay her S$900 (RM2,980) for sexual favours. She initially agreed and sent him four nude or semi-nude photos and a video of herself removing her school uniform at his instruction. Chandramohan transferred S$100 to her on July 24, 2021. The victim later regretted the arrangement, told him she wanted to back out, and blocked him on social media. He then began harassing her over the money, using new Instagram accounts to contact her and threatening legal action. Despite a friend repaying the S$100 on her behalf, Chandramohan continued demanding sexual favours. In early 2022, the girl gave in and performed a sex act. Chandramohan then pretended legal proceedings were still ongoing and demanded S$1,350 — allegedly half of his lawyer's fee. He also suggested resuming the original sexual arrangement. The victim later confided in friends, who warned her he was likely lying. She lodged a police report. In a separate offence in 2023, Chandramohan opened a Standard Chartered bank account and handed control of it to a friend in exchange for S$330. Over S$304,000 flowed through the account. He was fined S$330 over this offence. Extortion carries a sentence of two to seven years in jail and caning. Communicating with a minor to obtain sexual services carries a maximum jail term of two years, a fine, or both.
CNA
21 hours ago
- Health
- CNA
Jail, caning for man who extorted money from girl after she backed out of 'sugar daddy' arrangement
SINGAPORE: A man who bullied a 16-year-old girl into performing sexual acts and giving him money by falsely claiming he was taking legal action against her was sentenced to jail and caning on Monday (Jun 6). Marc Justine Landrio Chandramohan, 27, had pressured the girl after she backed out of a "sugar daddy" arrangement with him. Chandramohan will serve two years, 11 months and 10 weeks in jail from Friday after he was given a few days to settle his debts. He was also ordered to be given three strokes of the cane. The Singaporean earlier pleaded guilty to seven charges. These consist of communicating with another person for the purpose of obtaining commercial sex, abetting by distributing obscene images and videos, extortion, cheating, making obscene films, and abetting another person to perform a computer function without authority. Another nine charges, mostly related to making obscene films, were taken into consideration by Principal District Judge Victor Yeo Khee Eng for sentencing. Apart from the victim of the extortion, two other victims were filmed by Chandramohan during sex acts. All three victims cannot be named to protect their identities. Echoing what the prosecution had said in Chandramohan's earlier hearing where he pleaded guilty, Judge Yeo said in his sentencing remarks that the accused had preyed on a young and naive victim. He noted how Chandramohan had persisted with his "premeditated and predatory behaviour" to message and pressure the victim for sexual favours and money even though she owed him "absolutely nothing". Judge Yeo said the court could not ignore the adverse impact Chandramohan's acts had on the victim, who said her relationship with her family was affected by the incident. She said she felt her body was "dirty" and became sensitive to physical touch. The victim also worried about bumping into Chandramohan outside and would panic when she sees someone who resembles him. The District Judge said that the predominant sentencing consideration in this case was deterrence, both for Chandramohan and other like-minded potential offenders. Touching on Chandramohan's mitigation, Judge Yeo said he accepted that the accused regretted his offences and is prepared to accept responsibility and face punishment. THE OFFENCES The court previously heard that Chandramohan began chatting with the victim via the Instagram app in July 2021. He suggested paying her S$900 (US$700) in exchange for sexual favours in a "sugar daddy" arrangement. The victim initially agreed and sent Chandramohan four photos of herself in varying states of undress, with her face captured. She also sent a video of herself removing her school uniform, at Chandramohan's instruction. Chandramohan sent the victim S$100 on Jul 24, 2021. However, in the early hours of the next morning, the victim regretted the agreement. She told Chandramohan via text that she did not want to continue with it, deleted her chat with him and blocked him. But he began badgering her about the S$100 he gave her, creating new Instagram accounts to speak to her repeatedly, then threatened legal action against her. He insisted on sexual favours and said he would not stop pursuing legal action against her, even after the victim managed to ask a friend to transfer Chandramohan the S$100. Believing this to be true, the victim gave in and performed a sexual act in early 2022. Chandramohan agreed to withdraw his purported lawsuit against her. But he later pretended that legal proceedings were still ongoing and asked her for S$1,350 - allegedly half the sum of the legal fee - to pay his lawyer. He suggested again that the two return to their initial sexual arrangement. Eventually, the victim consulted her friends, who told her that Chandramohan was likely lying. She then lodged a police report. Separately, in 2023, Chandramohan applied for a Standard Chartered bank account at the behest of a friend, who asked him if he wanted to make fast cash by relinquishing control of his account. He provided his friend details relating to that bank account and received S$330 in exchange. A total of S$304,817.76 flowed through this bank account. Chandramohan was also sentenced over these offences and will have to pay a fine of S$330 in addition to his jail term. Extortion carries a jail term of between two and seven years with caning.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Zion Williamson Accused of Sexual Assault in Civil Lawsuit
New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson is accused in a lawsuit of engaging in sexual abuse and other misconduct by a woman with whom he allegedly had a sexual relationship from 2018 to 2023. Attorneys for Williamson called the woman's claims an 'extortion attempt.' Advertisement More from The civil complaint, according to ESPN, was filed by a plaintiff using the pseudonym Jane Doe in Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday. The complaint asserts Williamson, a former No. 1 overall NBA Draft choice, engaged in 'physical, emotional, and financial' abuse in addition to sexual misconduct. The alleged acts occurred in Louisiana and California. The allegations include claims that Williamson threatened to 'have his paid security guard shoot Plaintiff while the security guard was present and carrying a loaded firearm,' and made threats to kill the plaintiff's parents as well. Allegations of Williamson monitoring the woman's whereabouts are also included in the suit. Accusations raised in a civil complaint are not necessarily true, and whether a plaintiff can support the accusations with evidence and testimony are key factors that will take time to play out. Advertisement Attorneys for Williamson at Barrasso Usdin Kupperman Freeman & Sarver issued a statement Friday denying the allegations. They claim that Williamson 'reported the plaintiff's extortion attempt to law enforcement.' The statement does not indicate the jurisdiction of the law enforcement entity. The extortion accusation, Williamson's attorneys state, led to the issuance of an arrest warrant, though details of that alleged issuance are not clarified. Williamson's attorneys also state their client and the plaintiff 'never dated' but did 'maintain a consensual, casual relationship' that began when Williamson was a freshman at Duke in 2019. Williamson will countersue the plaintiff, his attorneys said. It's worth noting that the filing of a complaint in court is ordinarily preceded by a would-be plaintiffs' demand letter sent to the would-be defendant. The letter requests a settlement, which typically contemplates financial payment to the plaintiff in exchange for dropping potential claims and agreeing to a nondisclosure provision—a provision that would be of great value to a high-profile figure like Williamson. Advertisement In other words, Williamson likely knew he was going to be sued in a public court filing that would attract media attention unless he agreed to Doe's demands. His attorneys said 'only after the friendship ended did she begin demanding millions of dollars.' Williamson's answer to the complaint and motion to dismiss will be important steps going forward to assessing the truthfulness of the woman's and Williamson's conflicting accounts. The legal process would also impact how the NBA and Pelicans address the matter. The league and the NBPA have bargained a domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy that contemplates the league's ability to investigate related claims. Best of Sign up for Sportico's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Two veteran NYPD detectives are under investigation for providing security at luxury townhouse where crypto businessman was tortured
Two veteran NYPD detectives are in the hot seat for their role in providing security at a luxury Manhattan townhouse where a cryptocurrency businessman was tortured for two weeks - and one has ties to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, sources tell Detective Robert Cordero, who's been assigned to Mayor Adam's Executive Protection Unit since 2021, was the one who allegedly picked up the Italian national from the airport on May 6 and drove him to the townhouse - delivering him to the so-called Crypto King of Kentucky, John Woeltz, 38, and William Duplessie, 32. There, in an attempt to extort the password from B itcoin investor Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan, 28, they subjected him to 17 days of being chained up, electrocuted and taunted with a chainsaw inside the swanky SoHo apartment. The townhouse's surveillance and transportation to other locations was allegedly held down by Cordero and Detective Raymond J. Low, who has worked in the narcotics unit in Manhattan since 2005. Neither had filed the required paperwork to work the private security job, sources said. However, one familiar with the investigation told that it's not believed that the detectives were involved in the actual crime. 'There's no indication either of them had any knowledge of what was going on inside,' the source said. 'It's not like they went up there and saw this guy being tortured. These (detectives) function was to basically drive them around.' But despite this, both men have been placed on modified desk duty as the NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau investigates their involvement in the horrifying scheme that was only exposed when the businessman was able to bust out of his confinement. After 17 horrifying days, a shoeless and bloodied Carturan was captured on surveillance cameras hobbling down a busy street on May 23 after escaping the six-story apartment. He was able to flag down an NYPD traffic officer at the intersection of Spring and Mulberry Streets and pleaded for help, NBC 4 reported. The disheveled Italian national told the officer he had seized the opportunity to escape after being told it would be his 'death day'. Police said he was covered in bruises, cuts and had ligature marks on his wrists from where he was allegedly bound. Officers converged on the property and arrested Woeltz on charges of assault, kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment and criminal possession of a firearm. Woeltz was allegedly part of a group that concocted a sadistic scheme to lure Carturan - who is understood to have been a business partner of Woeltz and his associate William Duplessie - to New York so they could access his crypto account. Duplessie, accompanied by his lawyers, surrendered himself to police Tuesday morning. He will face charges of kidnapping and false imprisonment, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. Woeltz's glamorous Italian assistant Beatrice Folchi, 24, was also taken into police custody, but later released. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office has declined to prosecute pending further investigation. Police raided Woeltz's residence on Friday after Carturan's escape. What they found inside was shocking: a trove of evidence offering a glimpse inside their apartment of horrors, including Polaroid pictures of Carturan being tied up and tortured. Detectives also revealed they uncovered a gun that was used to 'inflict fear and pain on the victim'. The nightmare for Carturan began when he was lured to the house by his former business associate, Woeltz, with the promise of returning Bitcoin already extorted from him. But when he arrived, he was chained up, electrocuted, pistol-whipped and threatened with a chainsaw in an effort to give up the passwords to his crypto accounts, Carturan claimed. Woeltz and his male 'accomplice' allegedly threatened to kill the alleged victim's family unless he provided passwords to accounts holding Bitcoin. Believing he would soon be shot, Carturan told his alleged captors he would give up his password. Prosecutors claim as Woeltz went to retrieve his laptop from another room, the victim fled down the stairs. Carturan was transported to a nearby hospital with a 'laceration to his face', 'injury to his wrists consistent with being bound' and various other injuries on his body and head, prosecutors said, describing the victim as having been 'traumatized'. Sources close to the investigation told NBC 4 that Woeltz and Duplessie had 'roughed up' Carturan before, but never violently. They would often pick on him, with the insider describing their relationship as 'complex' and having a 'Wolf of Wall Street/frat guys gone wild' vibe. The duo would drink both Don Julio tequila and champagne straight from the bottle at The Box and had a 'frat bro' mentality with their friends and coworkers - often picking on Carturan before holding him captive Police have now arrested a group of so-called 'crypto bros' in connection with the case. The gang was alleged to have pistol-whipped Carturan and threatened to sever his limbs with an electric chainsaw before he pretended to concede his passwords. At one point, they were said to have 'carried the victim to the top flight of stairs of the apartment in the compound and hung the victim over the ledge, after threatening to kill the victim if [he] did not provide the defendant with the victim's Bitcoin password'. Police said the men took Polaroid photographs of themselves torturing him - one showing him bound to a chair with a gun pressed to his head. The photos, authorities believe, were likely intended to extort money from either the alleged victim or his family back in Italy. Investigators also found broken glass, helmets, night vision goggles and a bulletproof vest strewn across the apartment. The men also reportedly forced him into taking drugs - including crack cocaine - and imposed mental torment upon him, repeatedly insisting he would never escape. Prosecutors also allege that he was urinated on during the ordeal and that his captors slashed his leg. Woeltz, described by police as the renting occupant of the apartment, was dragged out of the building in a white bathrobe on Friday morning. Officers found him in an upstairs bathroom. He was charged on Saturday with kidnapping, assault, unlawful imprisonment and criminal possession of a firearm, according to the Manhattan DA's office. Prosecutors deemed him a flight risk as he owns a private jet and a helicopter. He is being held without bail. Duplessie surrendered himself to the NYPD's Major Case Squad Detectives unit on Tuesday morning. The custody exchange was reportedly expected. Officials have since revealed that he faces charges of kidnapping and false imprisonment.
