NBI raps "fotog" with extortion

CEBU, Philippines - A 25-year-old man was charged with extortion after he allegedly demanded P15,000 from a minor in exchange for not posting her nude pictures on the Internet.

The National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas yesterday filed the complaint before the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office against John Jayson De Jesus Antonio.

Antonio was arrested during an entrapment operation conducted by the NBI operatives last Tuesday. A minor, who poses as model in photography class, complained that Antonio is trying to extort money from her.

The victim, name withheld, a resident in Mandaue City, said that sometime last year she met the suspect in one of the malls in Cebu City and befriended with him. According to the victim, the suspect introduced himself as “Derick” and offered her a modeling job.

The 16-year-old victim, who is half Japanese and half Filipino, said she found the suspect nice and was constantly in contact with him through text and facebook. A certain Hayumi Zayura allegedly befriended with her through facebook.

“I never met her in personal but we became friends through facebook. Hayumi told me that she knows that I’m into modeling so she offered me a sort of protein powder to be taken orally so my body will have a better shape,” the victim’s affidavit reads.

The victim said she found the offer interesting. Hayumi allegedly asked her to send, through email, her nude photos to compare the “before and after” effect of the powder.

According to the victim, she sent her nude photos in October last year. However, Hayumi told her that her iPhone where she allegedly kept the nude photos was stolen.

The victim said she tried calling the iPhone and begged its holder to return the phone to Hayumi. However, the one who answered her allegedly demanded P10,000 from her and threatened to post her nude photos on the Internet if she refused to give the amount.

The demand was later reduced to P5,000 on condition that she will agree to have romance with him. Sometime in January, a certain Jhenrick De Jesus was already demanding a DSLR camera from her in exchange of her nude photos.

When she told the suspect that she has no camera, the latter demanded P15,000 instead.

“Out of fear that my nude photos will be posted to internet, I stole the iPod of my classmate so I could initially pay Jhnerick (sic),” the victim added in her affidavit.

The victim said she was instructed by Jhenrick to give the iPod to Derick and that she will have a balance of P13,000. The victim was forced to seek the assistance of the NBI after she was already pressured to return the iPod that she stole from her classmate.

The NBI then conducted an entrapment leading to the arrest of the suspect and the recovery of the iPod. The victim later discovered that Hayumi and Jhenrick was just Antonio, whom she first knew as Derick.— (FREEMAN)