A geriatric female sextortionist asked a Minnesota teen for nude photos and then shook him off for money — and she may have pulled the same scam on others, authorities say.
Stephanie Godby, 70, of Tennessee allegedly contacted the 17-year-old boy in Anoka County, convinced him to send nude photos of herself and then threatened to forward the X-rated photos to his friends and family if he didn’t. transfer payments totaling more than $2,000 to her Venmo account, Fox 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul reported.
Local law enforcement officials, who were tipped off to the scam in 2022, say the older suspect may have had other prey as well: Godby’s Venmo account has received similar payments from people across the country, according to subpoenaed records, Fox said.
A message that read: “Leave my husband alone for good, this is all you get from me” accompanied such a transaction, the records show.
The Minnesota victim, now 19, initially sent a $1,700 payment to Godby’s Venmo account in exchange for keeping the photos for herself, but the demands for cash kept coming, authorities say.
By the time sheriffs began their investigation, he ended up sending a total of $2,204.54, Fox reported.
Authorities have linked Godby’s date of birth, Social Security number, phone number and address to the offending Venmo account — listed as @sigodby — but they have yet to find her.
Godby was charged in absentia with coercion and theft by deception.
