Two Dominican nationals were extradited to Puerto Rico on September 30 to face federal sexual blackmail ("sextortion") charges for a scheme that ran from January 2023 against at least six victims on the island. The federal indictment, sealed from September 2024 until the extradition, names Patricia Joanna Almonte Frías and Rineldys Feliciano Díaz Cuevas. They allegedly used Facebook accounts to contact victims in Puerto Rico, seduce them, get them to send sexually explicit photos or videos, and then demand money to keep the material from relatives or the public.
At times they made photo montages to make victims appear to be committing sexual acts with minors. According to the indictment, victim #1 sent $500 via PayPal; victim #2 sent $1,000 via ATH Móvil, and when he stopped complying the video was posted on his wife’s Facebook profile; victim #3 sent $250 of $500 demanded and his photos were sent to relatives; victim #4 did not pay, his video was sent to his father, and he received a video of an armed man threatening him; victim #5 paid $1,500 yet his wife and relatives were still contacted; victim #6 did not pay but was threatened with claims that the person was a 17-year-old whose father and grandfather were police officers in Caguas.
Almonte Frías allegedly seduced victims and sent explicit images of her body to obtain similar material or recorded sexual video calls. Contact began on Facebook and moved to WhatsApp for threats. The FBI’s San Juan office investigated.