Milwaukee Bucks co-owner and billionaire Wes Edens has been identified as the victim of an alleged $1 billion blackmail plot.
The scheme, outlined in federal court documents, lasted months. Prosecutors say the person behind the blackmail, Changli “Sophia” Luo, threatened to publicize photographs and videos of she and Edens having sex if Edens didn’t meet her demands.
Here’s what we know so far about the plot and Luo.
Who is the person accused of blackmailing Wes Edens?
Changli “Sophia” Luo has been charged in the blackmailing plot.
She is a 46-year-old Chinese-born founder of a New York-based nonprofit, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported on the indictment.
She reached out to Edens via LinkedIn in 2022, The Journal reported, and the two corresponded for a time before starting a brief romantic relationship.
What was Edens being blackmailed with?
Luo repeatedly threatened Edens with the public release of photos and videos of the two of them having sex if he did not meet her demands.
She also accused him of having sex with her while she was “mentally incapacitated” and told him cameras in her home had recorded “everything he did to her.”
The blackmail reportedly began following the dissolution of their romantic relationship.
Aside from extorting Edens, Luo allegedly reached out to Edens’ family members, including his ex-wife, “told him she would approach investors, and pledged to destroy him,” The Journal wrote.
Edens denied the allegations but reportedly participated in the scheme to avoid public embarrassment and prevent his family from being harassed. Court records show he previously agreed to settle the matter for $6.5 million with $1 million upfront.
What has Wes Edens said about the blackmailing allegations?
Edens, 64, has not commented publicly on the case. He was not identified by name in the indictment, but the Wall Street Journal confirmed he was the alleged victim.
A spokesperson for Edens told The Journal, “Mr. Edens will be making no comment on the case as the indictment speaks for itself with respect to the charges against the defendant.”
“Mr. Edens expects to testify under oath at the upcoming trial.”
Who is Wesley Edens?
Edens is the co-founder of Fortress Investment Group and the founder of New Fortress Energy. He and Marc Lasry, another hedge fund billionaire, bought the Milwaukee Bucks for $550 million in 2014.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Here’s what we know so far about the plot to blackmail Bucks owner Wes Edens
Reporting by Steven Martinez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
