The owner of the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks, Wes Edens, is the victim of an alleged long-running blackmail scheme by a woman with whom he had a brief romantic relationship, according to a federal indictment unsealed in federal court in New York.
According to prosecutors, Edens, 64, who also owns a stake in Aston Villa and is a co-founder of Fortress Investment Group, met 46-year-old Changli “Sophia” Luo in 2022 after she contacted him through LinkedIn.
According to court documents, the two met at Luo’s Manhattan apartment and had sexual relations, but prosecutors say the encounter was followed by a campaign of threats, financial demands and harassment. The indictment states that Luo sent Edens a love letter in which she wrote: ““I never told you I love you, and tonight I want to tell you that, I have been restraining my feeling [sic] for you, as I do love you from the bottom of my heart!”
Authorities allege that after Edens failed to respond as she expected, Luo launched a months-long extortion campaign in which she demanded no less than $1.2 billion — a sum she claimed represented half of Edens’ estimated fortune.
According to the indictment, Luo threatened to publish intimate videos and photos of the two and allegedly created fake content in which Edens’ face was superimposed onto another person’s body.
During an FBI raid on her apartment, investigators allegedly found phones hidden inside a laundry basket and in a box of sanitary pads. Prosecutors said one of the devices contained sexually explicit videos and photos.
The indictment also alleges that Luo contacted members of Edens’ family, including his ex-wife, and threatened to reach out to his business partners and investors. At one point, according to court documents, Edens agreed to a financial settlement under which he committed to paying Luo $6.5 million, including $1 million immediately, in an attempt to avoid harm to his family and public embarrassment.
Later, after allegedly being diagnosed with the sexually transmitted infection HPV, Luo sought to reopen the agreement and demanded significantly larger sums.
Luo was arrested last year at JFK Airport while attempting to board a flight to China. She faces four charges, including extortion and destruction of evidence, and has pleaded not guilty to all allegations. She was released to house arrest on $500,000 bail and is expected to stand trial later this year.