South Carolina inmate extorts $27,000 from victim via fake dating profile using contraband cellphone

Summary

A South Carolina prison inmate used a fake female dating profile to catfish and extort more than $27,000 from a victim in another state between early 2024 and October 2024. Christopher Lewis Dendy Jr., 27, operated the scheme while incarcerated at Lieber Correctional Institution in Ridgeville, using a contraband cellphone to create the fake profile. Dendy, who was serving a 10-year sentence for voluntary manslaughter, armed robbery, and drug crimes, was transferred to Dorchester County Detention Center on April 1, 2024, to face charges including blackmail, extortion, and possession of a cellphone by a prisoner. The victim, believing he was communicating with a local woman, sent money via Cash App after Dendy falsely claimed to be an underage girl and threatened to report him. As of April 4, 2024, Dendy remained in custody and had not posted a $210,000 cash bond set by Magistrate Judge Amanda Leviner.