LA man jailed after extorting $150,000 from gay men with “bait ads” offering sex
KNBC reports.Buchanan targeted gay men in Southern California by placing ads on various websites, including Craigslist, offering sex services.When someone contacted a number attached to the ads, Buchanan would encourage them to send sexually explicit messages, or messages confirming they wished to hire him for sex.Buchanan would then threaten to share their conversations or report the men to police for soliciting for prostitution, unless they agreed to pay him to maintain his silence.He operated the scheme for six years, the court heard, posting more than 1,300 adverts and demanding payments of between $100 and $4,000 from victims.One man in Los Angeles paid Buchanan more than $22,000 for his silence, with Buchanan texting him, “You’ll pay.
