Wasilla resident Michael Thomas McTigue, 33, was sentenced Tuesday in Anchorage federal court to two years in prison for threatening women online and then extorting them for money, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Alaska.
Court documents show McTigue "trolled" women he met online through MeetMe and Kik, both messaging applications. He formed romantic relationships with women over the apps, and then got the women to send nude photos of themselves.
"On at least one occasion, the defendant then took the photographs that he received and threatened to publish them unless the victim worked for him as a prostitute and sent to him some of the money that she earned," prosecutors said.
McTigue went a step further, posting online prostitution ads for that victim, prosecutors said. She reacted to the tactic, sending McTigue about $1,300 in three separate wire transfers, according to the government's sentencing memorandum.
The FBI located two other women during its investigation who sent money to McTigue, as well as three women for which he posted online ads, according to the court documents.
The prison term imposed was the result of a plea agreement. Court documents filed by McTigue's federal public defender Michael Dieni say the agreement "makes sense" to McTigue, as count one of his charges – sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion – carries a 15-year mandatory minimum sentence.
"Although Mr. McTigue does not believe he is guilty of Count 1, he is nevertheless happy to avoid being placed in jeopardy for an offense that could completely ruin his life," Dieni wrote.