Billionaire investor Wesley Edens was allegedly targeted in a blackmail scheme involving threats to release intimate videos and photographs, according to US prosecutors.
Edens, who co founded Fortress Investment Group and also co owns the Milwaukee Bucks, was identified as the alleged victim in a federal case involving Changli Luo, also known as Sophia Luo. Prosecutors claim Luo met Edens in 2023 before later threatening to publicly release videos and images allegedly showing the pair engaged in s3xual activity.
Authorities allege that Luo continued making threats for months and at one stage contacted members of Edens’ family while also threatening to approach his business investors. Federal prosecutors said the alleged extortion attempt involved demands amounting to more than $1 billion.
Luo was indicted last year and charged with blackmail and destruction of records, although court documents at the time did not publicly identify Edens as the alleged victim. A spokesperson for Edens later confirmed to the Wall Street Journal that he was “Victim-1” in the case.
According to the spokesperson, Edens reported the matter to law enforcement because he feared for his own safety and that of his family. “Mr. Edens will be making no comment on the case as the indictment speaks for itself with respect to the charges against the defendant,” the spokesperson said.
Edens is expected to testify during Luo’s upcoming trial later this year. Luo was reportedly released on a $500,000 bond and is currently under house arrest pending trial proceedings.
Her legal team has asked the court to dismiss the charges, arguing that the encounter between Luo and Edens was “inappropriate and aggressive” and claiming she was seeking justice and compensation rather than attempting extortion.