Sextortion scheme: 70-year-old woman lured teen boy to send nude photos

Sextortion scheme: 70-year-old woman lured teen boy to send nude photos

LINWOOD TOWNSHIP, Minn. (FOX 9) - An elderly woman from Tennessee is facing several charges after authorities claim she was involved in a sextortion scheme of a teenage boy in Minnesota.

The Brief

• A 17-year-old boy from Linwood Township began sending nude photos after communicating with a woman online.
• The woman, 70-year-old Stephanie Godby from Tennessee, then began demanding money to stop her from sending them to his friends and family.
• Godby now faces several charges, including coercion and theft by swindle, while police are still investigating the potential of more victims.

What we know

On Sept. 30, 2022, the Anoka County Sheriff's Office was notified of extortion involving sexual images of a 17-year-old boy in Linwood Township.

The victim, who is now 19-years-old, reported that he had been communicating with an unknown woman, during which he sent nude photos of himself. After the photos were sent, the woman then demanded money through the Venmo app to stop her from sending them to the victim's friends and family.

According to authorities, he sent her $1,700 to stop the plan, but she then began demanding more money.

As part of the investigation, police learned the perpetrator was using a Venmo account known as @sigodby, and Venmo provided records and data regarding the account after being subpoenaed for the information.

Who did it?

The identity of the Venmo account holder is listed as Stephanie Godby, 70, of Dandridge, Tennessee.

Venmo transaction records show the victim sent a total of $2,204.54 to her on Sept. 30, 2022.

Her Venmo account also shows several other transactions from cities and states, including Maple Grove.

One message that accompanied a transaction said, "leave my husband alone for good, this is all you're getting from me."

What’s next?

After attempting to contact Godby, and failing to reach her, detectives are continuing to attempt to collect additional information regarding her bank account and phone records.

Current records already confirm that the social security number, phone number, date of birth, and address used for the Venmo account belong to her.

Godby currently faces one count of coercion and one count of theft by swindle in charges filed in Anoka County. She is currently not in custody.

What we don’t know

It’s unclear how the victim and Godby met initially.

The Source

This report was written using charges filed in Anoka County.

SOURCE: FOX9