Daniel Duplasir, a Louisiana man allegedly involved in a underage online sex scandal, pleaded not guilty in a Houston Federal Court Tuesday to a felony charge of threatening communication, according to ABC News.
One of the victims in Duplasir's scandal, Texas A&M professor James Aune sent a text message to Duplasir before committing suicide.
"Killing myself now and u will be prosecuted for blackmail," Aune wrote in the text message to Duplasir.
Aune leaped to his death one minute after sending the text message on Jan. 8. Authorities are investigating Duplasir for trying to extort Aune with his involvement in an underage online sex scandal.
According to a federal complaint, Duplasir took revealing photos of a female relative who was underage to begin the alleged scam. Then he would entice men into relationships with this relative and obtain their personal information. Finally, to complete the rouse he'd go to the house of one of his relative’s “dates” and claim to be her father, demanding money to fund his “daughter’s” therapy.
Aune fell victim to the alleged scam. He received his first message in December from a girl he thought to be Karen McCall, according to the complaint. Next, Duplasir attempted to extort $5,000 from Aune, claiming to be McCall’s father. Duplasir threatened to report him to the university and police if he didn't comply.
According to the complaint, Aune sent an email to what he believed to be McCall’s email address.
"I answered and said I would do whatever he wanted….I sent him $1,000 and then promised more in January,” he wrote.
However, he later ran into trouble and told Karen he didn't know if he could come up get all of the money.
After the money stopped coming, Duplasir began to send volatile text messages and emails to Aune.
"If I do not hear from you I swear to God Almighty that the police, your place of employment, students, ALL OVER THE INTERNET…ALL OF THEM will be able to see your conversations, texts, pictures you sent,” he told Aune according to the complaint.
Aune paid Duplasir by using reloadable debit cards on which he placed total of $1,500. Bank records were subpoenaed from Green Dot Bank, proving the money went to Daniel Duplaisir of Metairie, Louisiana.
Duplasir was arrested in January.
