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.

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.