A 21-year-old Ghanaian, Cross Abu Cole, has been arrested in the United States for allegedly attempting to extort money by threatening to leak nude photos of a victim — including images from the victim’s childhood.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York, Cole was apprehended on June 10 upon landing in Houston, Texas.
He faces charges of interstate communication with intent to extort. If found guilty, he could spend up to two years in prison and pay a \$250,000 fine.
Prosecutors say the case dates back to October 2022 when a U.S. resident reported receiving threatening messages demanding \$200 via CashApp.
The sender, later linked to Cole, allegedly threatened to send nude photos of the victim — including one taken when he was a minor — to his Snapchat contacts if payment was not made.
Though the victim initially attempted the payment, he later canceled it after speaking with his father. However, the threats continued.
An FBI investigation traced the digital trail back to Cole through a hacked Yahoo email connected to the victim’s Snapchat. He made his first court appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and has been remanded in custody.
