February 13, 2021 | Sex & Society

Man gets 5 years for blackmailing gay men

After six years of victimizing gay men, Tyler Buchanan is finally facing justice. The 29-year-old received a five-year sentence after being found guilting of extorting at least $150,000 from men in US.

Buchanan used "bait ads," which offered sex for hire. The ads were posted on sites like Craigslist and Backpage, and targeted gay men across the US.

Once contact was made, Buchanan would gather as much information on each victim as he could find. He then encouraged his target to engage in explicit discussions about sex, and discuss potential payment. The revealing, and often embarrassing, conversation was then used to extort thousands in hush money.

"He tormented numerous victims over many years," said U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II.

He took over $22,225 from on man. His first tweet: "You'll pay for it one way or another. You choose.''

The defendant pleaded guilty, claiming: "I was a damaged and angry person and desperate for money ... I broke the law and acted like a person I'm not proud of. I took money from other people and I scared them.''

He was sentenced last week, landing prison time and ordered to pay restitution of $67,567 to men who were extorted.

Just a reminder to be careful when meeting anyone online.