Cincinnati priest loses $58,000 to crypto investment scam via Telegram, faces sextortion threats

Summary

A Cincinnati priest, Father Martin Bachman, became an apparent victim of a sextortion scam after losing $58,000 in a cryptocurrency investment scam. The scammer allegedly threatened to expose explicit messages shared with them if the priest stopped sending money. The priest reported the scam to Green Township police in December 2023, stating he was convinced to invest in gold through an unregulated crypto trading platform via a messaging app called Telegram. The suspect threatened to send the explicit messages to the priest’s parishes after he stopped communicating. The Archdiocese of Cincinnati owns the home where the priest lives, which is listed in the police report. The sextortion case remains unsolved, and the Archdiocese has not commented on the priest’s involvement in the scam or the sextortion allegations.