Male juvenile blackmailed via social media by Texas man posing as teen leading to felony intimidation charge

Summary

A Texas man was arrested for attempting to blackmail a teen in Naperville, Illinois, after the teen sent him explicit photos online. The victim, a male juvenile, reported that he had sent the photos to someone who posed as a 16-year-old girl, who then threatened to release the photos unless he made electronic payments. The suspect allegedly located the teen’s friends and family on social media and threatened to send them the explicit photos as well. The juvenile paid the suspect multiple times as the demands continued. Detectives traced the offender to Cody D. Ratliff, 39, of Kerrville, Texas, who was arrested on Feb. 9 and charged with a felony count of intimidation. Ratliff was taken to Illinois, processed by Naperville police, and jailed in DuPage County.