Federal Investigation Launched into Penn State Locker Room Sexual Extortion Case

A federal investigation has been launched into a sexual extortion case involving several Penn State athletes.

In September of last year, Penn State police learned of two student-athletes, identified only as Victim 1 and Victim 2, who were extorted by an anonymous woman named “Li” threatening to publicly reveal lewd photos of themselves in the football locker room. Per Pennlive:

Victim 2 reportedly told police that he met a person he believed to be a woman, who was referred to as ‘Li,’ on a dating app earlier that month. Victim 2 said that Li convinced him to share ‘sexually explicit photos of himself’ with her, and then threatened to post those on social media platforms — including Penn State head coach James Franklin’s Twitter account — unless he sent more.

Victim 2 told police he believed other student-athletes at the school were victims of Li because she added him to a Snapchat group that included other athletes and told them to ‘give him advice.’ Victim 2 said those athletes told him to ‘do what she said. That it would be bad,’ WJAC reported.

Victim 2 then reportedly told police he shared videos of a group sex act and other lewd videos recorded in the Penn State locker room. After Victim 2 blocked the woman due to her increasingly violating demands, she allegedly began posting the content on Instagram. The athletic department aided the victim in removing the Instagram posts shortly after he notified them.

One of the Instagram accounts used by Li reportedly had a dropbox folder that contained 33 videos. Five athletes were allegedly victimized by her, with one of the victims saying that she told them she “liked doing this to athletes.” She also allegedly attempted to extort athletes at other high schools and colleges in Alabama, Florida, Minnesota, and Mississippi.

The case has since moved from the state and local level into a federal investigation after Centre County District Attorney Bernie Cantorna’s office closed the investigation and did not file charges at the behest of the victims.

“The University’s concern was focused on potential student victims and their right to privacy in the case, and that possible irreparable and irreversible damage that the immediate unsealing could impose,” Penn State spokeswoman Lisa Powers said. “There was never any intent to permanently seal the warrants, only to redact the names of victims.”