Extortion

Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador claimed that his government has been protecting truckers for a long time in the border state of Tamaulipas and that they are safe. The comment comes just days after the Gulf Cartel carjacked more than 15 tractor-trailers and forced the drivers to dump the fuel they were carrying for not having paid protection.

A former county prosecutor in Starr County, Texas, pleaded guilty to federal extortion charges. The former prosecutor admitted to taking money from a woman to have multiple charges dismissed.

President Joe Biden’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has restarted admitting foreign nationals into the United States via a Port of Entry near Laredo, Texas, through its migrant mobile app despite reports that those using the app were being extorted. 

Authorities in the Mexican border state of Sonora revealed that a cartel-connected human smuggling network recorded videos showing the beating of migrants with a paddle in an effort to extort their loved ones. Sonora is the same Mexican border state where the Sinaloa Cartel made headlines for using a paddle to torture local food vendors and small business owners as part of an extortion scheme.

Mexican immigration officials at a detention center that went up in flames last month in Ciudad Juarez had a running extortion scheme. The scheme involved demanding money from migrants in exchange for being released. Those who were unable to pay were locked inside and eventually deported.

Authorities in the U.S. helped their Mexican counterparts arrest a Romanian woman who was wanted in Mexico for various extortions allegedly made on behalf of Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG).

Swedish Moderate Party MP Kyell Jansson was allegedly blackmailed by a prostitute just days after buying sex and is now being investigated by authorities himself.

Home Secretary Priti Patel says the British government will hand the French millions of pounds yet again to try and persuade them to stop boat migrants as a record 600 land in a single day. 

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

The U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona filed charges against two Mexican nationals for their roles in an alleged human smuggling scheme that included extorting family members for the release of migrants being held for ransom. The suspects allegedly demanded a payment of $8,000 for each migrant being held against their will in Arizona.

Florida businessman Stephen Alford pleaded guilty in federal court last week for attempting to extort $25 million from Rep. Matt Gaetz’s (R-FL) family in exchange for making as of yet unproven allegations of sexual impropriety against the congressman disappear.

Saudi Aramco confirmed on Wednesday that a “limited amount” of its company data held by third-party contractors was recently leaked amid reports that an unidentified extortionist is holding a terabyte of the Saudi Arabian oil giant’s data hostage and demanding a $50 million ransom for its deletion, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

A Mexican drug lord who is currently listed as a Most Wanted Fugitive by the FBI is reportedly the mastermind behind a large-scale extortion and racketeering operation. The drug lord’s operation took control of most of the construction business in one of Mexico’s richest suburbs. The construction racket operated with complete impunity for years and with the clandestine support of local and state officials.

NEW YORK (AP) — Michael Avenatti, the brash California lawyer who publicly sparred with then-President Donald Trump before criminal fraud charges on two coasts disrupted his rapid ascent to fame, faces sentencing in one of those cases Thursday.

Former Air Force intelligence turned consultant Bob Kent admitted on Monday he asked Rep. Matt Gaetz for $25 million, but denies accusations of extortion.

Rep. Matt Gaetz’s (R-FL) father says he wore a wire for a FBI investigation into DOJ extortion claims on more than one occasion in the course of a probe regarding a potential extortion plot both father and son believe was orchestrated by former federal prosecutor David McGee.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has denied allegations against him as a new report from the New York Times states he is under federal investigation for his sexual activity with women and a potential relationship with a 17-year-old girl.

A high-ranking Philadelphia union leader was arrested by federal agents Wednesday morning and is being accused of extortion.

Kidnappers grabbed a teenager headed for the Texas border with the goal of joining his father in California. The Mexican teen became the latest victim of a new trend developing in Mexico where cartel smugglers have been kidnapping migrants to extort their families.

Austrian police arrested four members of a Chechen “morality gang” in Vienna for threatening to behead another man’s children if he did not give them money.

President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee to helm the department of labor has been linked to allegations of union-extortion over the past decade.

Law Enforcement officials in the U.S. and Central America announced the arrest of more than 700 violent gang members under a joint operation. Operation Regional Shield (ORS) led to the arrest of gang members in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras including members of MS-13 and the 18th Street gangs.

A Mexican drug lord on the FBI’s Most-Wanted fugitives list is wanted for ordering a cartel hit in Texas. He currently controls a powerful money laundering and extortion operation in one of the most exclusive suburbs in the border state of Nuevo Leon.

Two Pakistani migrants have been sentenced to 14 and nine years in prison after they kidnapped a 17-year-old, blackmailed, and raped him.

Michael Avenatti’s “true character” was exposed following a Manhattan jury’s guilty verdict Friday, said his former client, Stormy Daniels.

NEW YORK (AP) — Michael Avenatti, the combative lawyer who gained fame by representing a porn star in lawsuits involving President Donald Trump, was convicted Friday of trying to extort sportswear giant Nike.

A letter bomb that detonated in an Amsterdam mail sorting center was sent by an extortionist who is demanding payment in bitcoins.

Federal informant Lawrence Ray, the father of a Sarah Lawrence College student, was arrested by the FBI Tuesday on charges including sex trafficking.

Peter Schweizer explained how his latest book was titled, Profiles in Corruption: Abuse of Power by America’s Progressive Elite.

A New York federal judge rejected Michael Avenatti’s bid Wednesday to dismiss charges where he is accused of extorting sportswear brand Nike.

NEW YORK (AP) — California attorney Michael Avenatti wants to portray Nike as a villain and himself a hero at his extortion trial later this month, the company said in a court filing made public Thursday.

A gang of Moroccan migrants face trial in Rennes after being accused of robbing and sexually assaulting prostitutes in several cities across France.

A Massachusetts mayor was arrested on Friday for allegedly extorting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from marijuana vendors.

Michael Avenatti was once a fixture on major cable news networks and used to party with some of the media’s most high-profile personalities.

Attorney Michael Avenatti, one of President Donald Trump’s most determined antagonists and the former lawyer for porn star Stormy Daniels, has reportedly been charged by federal prosecutors with extortion.

Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents apprehended several Central American migrants who reported being held at gunpoint and extorted for money by cartel members in Mexico. Agents patrolling near the border in the Laredo Sector apprehended a Honduran male in the