A 34-year-old Jamaican woman who allegedly attempted to blackmail and extort the CEO of a publicly traded US company was charged Thursday in New York and faces further charges for being the alleged mastermind of a catfishing scheme targeting wealthy men.

Dubbed the ‘Jamaican Tinder Swindler,’ playing on the name of a popular Netflix documentary, Sakoya Blackwood is charged with one count of making interstate communications with intent to extort, which carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison.

She is also charged with one count of cyberstalking, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison; and one count of extortion, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years.

According to allegations in the indictment unsealed Thursday in Manhattan federal court and statements made in court, Blackwood, who often uses the name Lila Cohen among many aliases, uses different platforms to lure in her victims who she solicits intimate photos from, then uses the photos to extort money from them.

The US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said that, in particular, Blackwood “made threats against the Chief Executive Officer of a publicly traded company” to release sexually explicit communications and photographs exchanged between her and the man, if she wasn’t monetarily compensated.

FBI Assistant Director Michael J Driscoll said that Blackwood’s seductive scheme, which began in March 2022, targeted high profile men, preying on their softer sides.

“No one should have to fear public humiliation and financial loss from the release of personal, private information. As alleged, Sakoya Blackwood created that very fear and sought to capitalise on it for her own personal gain,” said Driscoll.

“I commend the victim for reporting this alleged criminal activity and encourage anyone else who believes they may have been a victim of this scheme to contact the FBI,” Driscoll added.

The Indictment further noted that Blackwood targeted multiple other victims as part of her extortion scheme.

If convicted, Blackwood could also be deported back to Jamaica, as the 34-year-old is not a citizen of the United States but arrived in the country in 2002 on a visitor’s visa.