Omoruyi O. Uwadiae, 29, pleaded guilty in May to 22 counts including cyberstalking, interstate communications with intent to extort, and unlawful transfer, possession, or use of a means of identification, according to court records.
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The sentence was handed down on December 10 by U.S. District Court Judge Michael Watson in federal court in Columbus.
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Court records document a spiteful campaign of extortion by Uwadiae in 2019 using apps like Grindr and Snapchat to target gay and bisexual men.
In March 2019, Uwadiae solicited nude pics and video from an Ohio State University student he met on Grindr along with his cell number. He told the victim, “pay me $200 and I wont post (the) pics, vids, number, and name online,” court documents read.
The young man didn’t pay up. Rather than move on to another potential mark, Uwadiae sent him a text with a link to an online platform where he had uploaded videos of the student engaged in sex along with his personal information.
The pattern continued with a 17-year-old that Uwadiae met on Snapchat in April 2019. The minor, who claimed to be 18 at the time, sent Uwadiae sexually explicit photos, and Uwadiae again demanded payment with a threat to expose him. He, too, declined.
Uwadiae responded by sending the photos to the boy’s mother and other family members, friends and classmates, according to the complaint, outing him in the process. As well, Uwadiae created a public Facebook page where he posted a photo of the young man engaged in sex.
In May, Uwadiae engaged another young man on both Grindr and Instagram. In this case, Uwadiae accused the man of being racist and created fake social media profiles using the man’s image. He also posted the stalking victim’s photo on Grindr with the same accusation, court records show.
Eight young men in Ohio, Colorado and Washington state were victimized by Uwadiae, according to a statement from prosecutors. Given the nature of the crime, that number could be higher.
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