AMC Theatres CEO Adam Aron reveals he was a victim of elaborate criminal extortion attempt

Adam Aron, the CEO of AMC Theaters was reportedly a victim of a blackmail and catfishing scam. Aron allegedly sent s*xually explict images and messages to a woman in a weeks-long text exchange. However, the woman reportedly tried to extort thousands of dollars from him using fake identities. The details of the catfishing scam remain a mystery as Aron described it as "related to false allegations about my personal life."

The high-profile CEO, who is known for his active presence on social media platforms, took to X on October 12, 2023, to reveal his side of the story. He wrote that instead of giving into the blackmail, he "personally engaged counsel and other professional advisors." He also reported the scam to law enforcement and noted that he risked embarrassment by doing so.

"I did so knowing I risked personal embarrassment. But with my access to resources, if I did not stand up against blackmail, who could? But with my access to resources, if I did not stand up against blackmail, who could?" the CEO added.

His extortionist was reportedly nabbed and was sentenced in July to time already served. The extortionist was revealed to be a woman named Sakoya Blackwood.

Thankfully, Adam Aron did not divulge any company secrets in the scam, leading to him still being in the good books of AMC. The company responded to the whole thing with a statement, saying that the board had retained an independent counsel to look into the scam. They had hired WilmerHale to take a look at the scam.

"The board determined it was a personal matter, and considers the issue resolved," the statement read.

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What exactly happened to Adam Aron?

Adam Aron was a victim of a scam by a woman named Sakoya Blackwood. Blackwood and Aron began texting in March 2022, when Blackwood catfished him with the fake name of "Mia." Though Aron has been married since 1987, he mistook her for a woman from his past.

Blackwood allegedly sent explicit photos of a young Russian model claiming that it was her. This is believed to be the content that perhaps led to the exchange that put the AMC CEO in jeopardy.

Blackwood later made up other characters and texted Aron in the guise of different characters, including a Vanity Fair reporter, who claimed to have seen the messages. The scammer demanded over a hundred thousand dollars from Adam Aron, according to reports. Thankfully, the matter was resolved after law enforcement intervened and reached the woman behind this elaborate scam.

"I could not end this message without again thanking you for your support -- as well as emphasizing my extreme gratitude to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and to the FBI for their diligent, skillful, and professional handling of this unfortunate matter."- Aron wrote in his Twitter statement.

Adam Aron continues to be a huge figure in the online world due to his X persona of being a spiritual leader of an online army of retail investors, known as Apes.

As mentioned earlier, the scammer, Sakoya Blackwood, was captured in July 2023, and is sentenced to jail with time served.