Panicked professionals fear they were victims of 'swingers' group blackmail scam

[Ian David]

Panicked professionals fear they were victims of 'swingers'
by Karla Schuster and Ann Givens
Newsday (NY)
February 2, 2007

As the Long Island couple charged with running a sex and extortion scheme
remained in jail Friday, at least one Nassau attorney said he is fielding
calls from panicked professionals who fear they have been caught on
sexually explicit videotapes.

"Lawyers, doctors, school teachers, businessmen and other community
leaders -- we've heard from people from all walks of professional life,"
said attorney Anthony Colleluori of Woodbury.

He said most of the people who have contacted him are married men from
Nassau, Suffolk and Queens who say they had sexual encounters with one or
both of the defendants. Two callers were women. Some called Colleluori
directly, while others had friends call on their behalf. He has not yet
agreed to represent anyone who has called him.

At least two callers told him that the couple -- Michael Largue, 45, of
Franklin Square, and Shawn Payne, 34, of East Hampton -- threatened to
send sexually explicit videos to a spouse or family member. He said some
of men told him that their encounters involved both Largue and Payne in
"swapping" situations.

<snip>

The two were caught when a Garden City man whom they tried to extort came
forward, police said. Another victim, a 47-year-old upstate woman, told
them that Payne said she would hurt her father and show her son explicit
photos of her trysts if she didn't pay $30,000, court documents said. The
woman handed Payne $1,360 and several pieces of jewelry before police made
their arrest, the documents said.

More:
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-liswin0203,0,2692917.story?coll=ny-opinion-utility

[LuckyLib]

1. Oops! Why would swingers think their lives could be private in the era of technology?

[redqueen]

2. Why would they not be HONEST with their "loved" ones? n/t

[Ian David]

4. Would you want your kids or your parents knowing about your recreational sexual activities?

"The man from the website says that Mommy pees on Daddy..."

I don't have much sympathy for those who are cheating on their spouses, and then going home to possibly spread a disease to them. If they were to get caught and exposed, is one thing. But blackmailed and extorted is always wrong.

If one of those "pro-family" politicians or preachers got caught in this thing and exposed, I'd be okay with that. But blackmailing and extorting money from them is wrong.

Rick Santorum in a swinger's club? Show the world! But don't blackmail him-- just send it to the press without any threats or warning.

A horny couple just having some sexy fun time, who have nothing to do with anti-sex politics, then no... they are off limits.

The public does not have a legitimate interest in what the Harley Davidson salesman and his wife who works at the movie theater do with their clothes off.

[redqueen]

7. Course not...

if they're going to engage in this sort of thing, it would be smart to know who they were dealing with.

Agree with your point re: extortion.

[Porcupine]

5. Does that really need an answer in the land of sexual repression? nt.

.

[redqueen]

9. Well it's only superficially the land of sexual repression.

e.g. porn industry, prostitution, etc.

[Porcupine]

10. It's the repression that makes that so profitable.

If people could just ask for what they wanted without feeling that divorce would follow it would be less profitable. Honesty sometimes is not the best policy in a marraige.

[FormerDittoHead]

6. ...threatened to show pictures to their CHILDREN???

In what UNIVERSE might you think these people have it coming to them to be blackmailed so their *children* wouldn't see those videos???

They were SWAPPING. That's not CHEATING.

If you think I'd share THAT with my kids you're OUT OF YOUR ***MIND***.

[redqueen]

8. Calm down...

I don't expect you to share it with your kids, of course.

[Ian David]

3. And apparently, the people who set-up this swinger's group did it mostly for the blackmail.

That's just so wrong on so many levels.

But I have to wonder, how many of those people have an (R) next to their name, and how many of them have been on the tee-vee saying how marriage needs to be "saved" from gays?

Blackmail and extortion are always wrong.