A geriatric female sextortionist solicited a Minnesota teen for nudes, then shook him down for cash – and she may have pulled the same scam on others, authorities say.
Stephanie Godby, 70, of Tennessee allegedly made contact with the 17-year-old boy in Anoka County, convinced him to send nude photos of himself and then threatened to forward the X-rated pics to his friends and family if he didn’t fork over payments totaling more than $2,000 to her Venmo account, Fox 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul reported.
Local law enforcement, who were tipped off about the scam in 2022, say the elderly suspect may have had other prey, too: Godby’s Venmo account has received similar payments from people around the country, according to subpoenaed records, Fox said.
A message reading, “leave my husband alone for good, this is all you’re getting from me” accompanied one such transaction, the records show.
The Minnesota victim, who is now 19, initially sent a payment of $1,700 to Godby’s Venmo account in exchange for keeping the photos to herself, but the demands for cash kept coming, authorities say.
He ended up sending a total of $2,204.54 by the time sheriffs began their investigation, Fox reported.
Authorities have linked Godby’s birth date, 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 abstentia with coercion and theft by swindle.
