Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Extorting Massachusetts Victims He Met Via Online Dating Website

BOSTON – A Maryland man pleaded guilty today to making extortionate threats toward victims in Massachusetts. 

Brandon D. Kane, 27, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty to making extortionate threats in interstate commerce. U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris scheduled sentencing for Jan. 11, 2024. Kane was arrested and charged in April 2023. 

Kane used an online dating website to meet victims locally in Eastern Massachusetts. During such meetings, Kane made unauthorized videos of his victims engaging in illicit drug use or sexual activity with him. Kane then threatened to release the videos to the victims’ families and employers unless his victims paid him.

The charge of making extortionate threats in interstate commerce provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Soto and Benjamin Tolkoff of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.