US law enforcement authorities have arrested a Ghanaian man for extortion
Law enforcement authorities in the United States of America (USA) have arrested a 21-year-old Ghanaian man on charges of extortion.
The authorities indicated that the culprit, identified as Cross Abu Cole, was taken into custody in Houston, Texas, upon his arrival at the city.
He faces a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a $250,000 fine for extortion.
According to details provided by Assistant US Attorney Aaron Mango, on June 10, 2025, Abu Cole’s arrest follows a complaint made by the victim, whose identity has been withheld, in October 2022, alleging extortion.
The statement further revealed that Abu Cole allegedly threatened the victim with nude photos of himself from when he was a minor.
“According to the complaint, in October 2022, an individual (victim) reported to the FBI that he was the victim of an extortion threat that involved the use of nude photographs of himself from when he was a minor,” a press statement by the US Attorney General’s office stated.
Further details indicated that Abu Cole continued to harass the victim with text messages, threatening to release and publicly share his nude photos if he failed to pay $200.
In an attempt to prove that he was serious, the suspect reportedly sent two nude photos of the victim and his friend.
The victim initially proceeded with the ransom payment but later reversed and canceled it after informing his father about the blackmail.
“The victim told investigators that he received text messages that demanded he send $200 to the CashApp account “$zettsa,” otherwise, the nude photographs would be sent to his Snapchat contacts.
“The victim then received two nude photographs, one from when he was a minor, and the second, a nude photograph of his friend, which the victim stated had come from his Snapchat account. The victim sent $200 to the CashApp account but cancelled the payment after speaking with his father,” the statement revealed.
Staying true to his threats, Abu Cole shared the victim’s nude photographs with his contacts on Snapchat.
“He then continued to receive multiple text messages from the same telephone number that made the threats. The victim, whose Yahoo account connected to his Snapchat account had previously been hacked, later learned that some of his Snapchat contacts had received his nude photographs from a separate Snapchat account,”the report added.
Police investigations tracked and traced the mobile phone number he used to send threatening messages to the victim, ultimately leading to his arrest.
Following his arrest, Abu Cole was detained after appearing before US Magistrate Judge Michael J Roemer on June 10, 2025.
The statement also noted that the victim’s complaint resulted in an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, led by Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Mark Grimm.
It, however, emphasised, that being charged with a crime does not indicate guilt unless proven in a court of law.
MAG/VPO
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