AMC CEO was target of blackmail and extortion plot

Adam Aron, meme stock CEO of AMC, sent sexually explicit images in text conversations with a woman who attempted to blackmail and extort him out of hundreds of thousands of dollars, as first reported by Semafor Thursday.

The plot took place over several weeks of text messages between Aron and the woman, Sakoya Blackwood. Blackwood assumed several false identities, including that of a former romantic partner to Aron, to solicit explicit photos from the CEO before threatening to publicly release them unless she received $300,000. 

The case was first reported last July but masked Aron’s identity, referring to him only as a CEO of a publicly traded company. Aron confirmed that he was the victim of the plot in a post to X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday.

“By definition, I live my life in the public eye. Unfortunately, last year I became the victim of an elaborate criminal extortion by a third party who was unknown to me related to false allegations about my personal life,” Aron wrote. “Rather than give in to blackmail, I personally engaged counsel and other professional advisors and reported the matter to law enforcement. I did so knowing I risked personal embarrassment. But with my access to resources, if I did not stand up against blackmail, who could?”

Blackwood was sentenced in July to time already served.

In early 2021, retail investors on r/WallStreetBets blew up GameStop’s stock prices to over $300 per share. This GameStop craze inspired investors to find other failing stocks like Blackberry. AMC was one of these meme stock companies that leaned into the hype, going as far as offering free popcorn to meme stonk investors at the time.