Adam Aron, AMC’s CEO of memes, sent sexually explicit images in text conversations with a woman who attempted to blackmail and extort him for hundreds of thousands of dollars. as first reported Semafor Thursday.
The plot unfolded over several weeks of text messages between Aron and the woman, Sakoya Blackwood. Blackwood assumed several false identities, including that of Aron’s former romantic partner, to solicit explicit photographs of the CEO before threatening to reveal them publicly. unless you received $300,000.
The case was first reported last July, but concealed Aron’s identity, referring to him only as the CEO of a publicly traded company. Aron confirmed that he was a victim of the plot in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday.
“By definition, I live my life in the public eye. Unfortunately, last year I was the victim of an elaborate criminal extortion by a third party unknown to me related to false accusations about my personal life.” Aron wrote. “Rather than give in to blackmail, I personally hired a lawyer and other professional advisors and reported the matter to the authorities. I did it knowing that I risked personal embarrassment. But with my access to resources, if I don’t oppose blackmail, who could?”
Blackwood was sentenced in July to a sentence 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 failed stocks like Blackberry. AMC was one of these meme corporations that leaned into hype, even going so far as to offer free popcorn to meme investors at the time.
