S.C. Man Charged with Sextortion, Which F.B.I. Says Led to Man's Death by Suicide

Glenn Daeward Boyd, 35, allegedly posed as a woman, sent a naked photo to a man and then claimed to be only 15 and threatened to expose the man as a pedophile

• Glenn Daeward Boyd allegedly targeted the Michigan man on a dating website August 2, 2023

• Over a three-day period, Boyd allegedly pretended to be an adult woman, a teenage girl, and, finally that teenager’s angry grandparents, authorities allege

• The alleged victim died by suicide August 4 after authorities say Boyd falsely outed him on Facebook as a pedophile

The first time the 35-year-old man allegedly reached out on a dating website to another man in Michigan over the summer, he introduced himself as Jad, an 18-year-old woman.

Glenn Daeward Boyd allegedly then texted the man in Michigan from a generated phone number, saying he wanted to be “Fwb,” (friends with benefits), and sent a nude photograph of the so-called Jad “engaged in a sexual act,” per the indictment obtained by PEOPLE.

Then Jad allegedly told the man: “I am only 15 but I will be 16 soon."

That’s when Jad’s fictional grandparents got involved, telling the man from Kent County, Mich., identified in court documents only by his initials “B.G.” that he needed to pay them off to keep them from reporting him as a pedophile: “What can you send me on cashapp right now[?]”

In the seven-count indictment filed in the Western District of Michigan Southern Division, Boyd is charged with one count of attempted extortion, one count of stalking and five counts of wire fraud.

The federal case centers on a three-day period starting Aug. 2, 2023, when authorities say the two men first connected online, and Boyd allegedly concocted, per prosecutors: “a scheme and artifice to defraud and to obtain money by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises.”

By Aug. 4, Boyd, allegedly still trying to get money from B.G., posted to the man’s Facebook account: “He is a pedophile I have all the evidence if anyone wants to see it[.]”

And, prosecutors say, later that day B.G. died by suicide “as a result of the pressure exerted by Boyd,” according to prosecutors.

“Nationally and here in Michigan we have seen a startling increase in the number of sextortion crimes — like we have alleged here — that result in the victim’s death,” Mark Totten, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, said in a statement. “We are fully committed to holding perpetrators of these crimes accountable.”

Totten cautions that “criminals constantly troll the internet and social media,” and the public should “not assume people are who they say they are.” But, he adds: “If you make a mistake, law enforcement is eager and ready to help.”

Little is known about Boyd, of Lancaster, S.C., per the arrest warrant obtained by PEOPLE, which lists his known alleged aliases — among them Jad and Kim Smith — and social security number, but leaves blank his place of birth, as well as his previous address and last known employment.

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On Wednesday, April 17, Boyd made an initial appearance in a S.C. federal court and waived the reading of his indictment as well as his right to additional hearings there, requesting that future hearings be held in the Western District of Michigan, where B.G. had lived and which also had jurisdiction, per an entry of the court proceeding reviewed by PEOPLE.

Boyd requested court-appointed counsel in Michigan that same day, per court documentation transferring the case across state lines and filed there Friday, April 19.

Boyd’s federal public defender in S.C., Suha Najjar, did not provide a comment on the proceedings in time for publication. His online court docket does not yet list a defense lawyer in Michigan.

“Sextortionists use any means necessary to exploit and deceive their targets, counting on the victim's feelings of shame and fear to achieve their goals,” Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan, said in a statement.

Here are a few tips from the F.B.I. to protect you from sextortionists:

• Don’t overshare on social media, particularly if your accounts are public.

• Block or ignore messages from people you do not know– because people can pretend to be anyone online.

• Remember, videos and photographs of someone are not proof that that person exists or are who they say they are. Images can be altered or stolen from other targeted accounts.

• If you do connect with someone you do not know online, then be wary if they suddenly ask you to switch to another platform to continue chatting.

• These days, nothing is really deleted. Once you create something online, you don’t know where it will end up or how it will be used.

• If you’re in trouble, then take the following steps: block the sender, report the behavior to the site administrator, and ask for outside help — from law enforcement or another trusted adult.

If you have information about or believe you are a victim of sextortion, you may contact your local FBI field office at 1-800-CALL-FBI, or online at http://tips.fbi.gov. More information is available here.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.

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