Washington man pleads guilty to extorting clients using phony escorts

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - A Washington man pled guilty today to using phony online escort profiles to extort hundreds of thousands of dollars from clients.

According to court documents, from at least August 2020 through October 2024, Abdul Kareem Kabba, 29, used photos and videos of women purchased from OnlyFans to create fake escort profiles on websites such as TheEroticReview.com. Kabba then would assume the identity of the "escort" and communicate with people interested in acquiring services. Kabba would typically ask them to send a deposit using peer-to-peer payment platforms or through websites that are commonly used by adult content creators to receive money. Kabba also would ask clients to verify their identities by sending a picture of themselves holding a form of identification such as a driver license and sending him a link to their social media profiles.

After a client paid the deposit and sent the identifying information, Kabba then would blackmail them. Kabba would threaten the clients that, unless they sent Kabba additional money, he would alert the police, the clients' families, and the clients' employers that the men were attempting to solicit a prostitute. As a result of his scheme, Kabba caused a total loss of $692,000 to his victims.

Kabba is scheduled to be sentenced on April 9 and faces up to 20 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and John T. Perez, Special Agent in Charge, Headquarters Operations, Office of Inspector General of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (FRB-CFPB OIG), made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Rossie D. Alston Jr. accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Hood for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Babasijibomi Moore of the Criminal Division's Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-cr-263.