A Dominican couple, Rineldys Feliciano Díaz Cuevas and Patricia Joanna Almonte Frías, faces federal charges in Puerto Rico for allegedly operating a sextortion ring from the Dominican Republic. They used Facebook, WhatsApp, and other digital platforms to contact Puerto Rican citizens, with the woman persuading victims to share intimate photos and videos, which were recorded without their knowledge.
The couple and other alleged collaborators then used the material to demand money under threat of sending it to family and friends. In some cases, they created fake montages combining sexual images of the victims with photos of minors. The federal investigation found that even after receiving payments, the suspects continued to threaten and distribute intimate images among the victims’ contacts.
The authorities warned that this type of extortion can have severe economic and psychological consequences. The couple was arrested in the Dominican Republic on August 19, 2026, at the request of US authorities, and later extradited to Puerto Rico. They appeared before federal magistrate judge Marcos E. López on October 1, charged with conspiracy to commit cyberstalking and interstate threats, and face up to five years in prison if convicted.