Nude pics used against roommate in failed extortion bid, say police - Sun Sentinel
LaTasha Currington, 38, allegedly told former friend to pay $1,500
LaTasha Currington, 38, of West Palm Beach is facing a charge of extortion after she allegedly threatened to distribute naked pictures of her roommate, according to West Palm Beach police
A West Palm Beach woman threatened to distribute naked pictures of her roommate unless the roommate forked over $1,500, police said.
LaTasha Currington, 38, told the alleged victim, a teacher, that an exchange of cash would be way the only way to stop her from distributing the nude photographs to the woman's colleagues and students, according to a West Palm Beach police arrest report.
"You're going to humiliate me by sending naked pictures of me to my employer?" the alleged victim said in an Oct. 24 phone call with Currington, according to police, who were with the woman when the call was made.
Currington's response made it seem as if her hand had been forced, according to the report.
"I mean, there's not really much else I can do," she said, according to the report.
In what police said was a failed extortion bid, Currington also mentioned the woman's cat, which had gone missing on Aug. 4, cops said. The report didn't make clear what happened to the feline, but Currington allegedly said in an email to the woman that if she hurried to pay $430, Currington might know where the cat could be found.
The two met while they both working as teachers at a Palm Beach County high school in 2011, police said. The alleged victim moved into Currington's home in the 1600 block of Brandywine Road in West Palm in July 2012. By the end of the lease agreement in July 2013, things had soured between the two. The report didn't say why.
According to the report, the alleged victim had tried — unsuccessfully — to send nude photographs and a letter to a friend in jail.
The jail, which wasn't disclosed, wouldn't allow the photographs beyond its doors, police said. They were sent back to the woman but she never received them, she told police, according to the arrest report.
Several months later, on Oct. 19, the woman received text messages from Currington that included the nude photos and demands for payment. The alleged victim contacted police, which lead to the Oct. 24 phone call.
The investigation progressed. On Saturday, the woman got a text from Currington that asked where and when they'd be meeting. The meeting was arranged for that day but when Currington showed up, she was arrested.
In questioning, Currington confessed, police said.
"She told the victim that if she did not pay her the $1,500, she would send the photographs to her students and job," the report stated.
Currington faces a charge of extortion. She was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail on Saturday night and released Sunday morning, according to the Sheriff's Office online booking blotter.
LaTasha Currington, 38, allegedly told former friend to pay $1,500
LaTasha Currington, 38, of West Palm Beach is facing a charge of extortion after she allegedly threatened to distribute naked pictures of her roommate, according to West Palm Beach police
A West Palm Beach woman threatened to distribute naked pictures of her roommate unless the roommate forked over $1,500, police said.
LaTasha Currington, 38, told the alleged victim, a teacher, that an exchange of cash would be way the only way to stop her from distributing the nude photographs to the woman's colleagues and students, according to a West Palm Beach police arrest report.
"You're going to humiliate me by sending naked pictures of me to my employer?" the alleged victim said in an Oct. 24 phone call with Currington, according to police, who were with the woman when the call was made.
Currington's response made it seem as if her hand had been forced, according to the report.
"I mean, there's not really much else I can do," she said, according to the report.
In what police said was a failed extortion bid, Currington also mentioned the woman's cat, which had gone missing on Aug. 4, cops said. The report didn't make clear what happened to the feline, but Currington allegedly said in an email to the woman that if she hurried to pay $430, Currington might know where the cat could be found.
The two met while they both working as teachers at a Palm Beach County high school in 2011, police said. The alleged victim moved into Currington's home in the 1600 block of Brandywine Road in West Palm in July 2012. By the end of the lease agreement in July 2013, things had soured between the two. The report didn't say why.
According to the report, the alleged victim had tried — unsuccessfully — to send nude photographs and a letter to a friend in jail.
The jail, which wasn't disclosed, wouldn't allow the photographs beyond its doors, police said. They were sent back to the woman but she never received them, she told police, according to the arrest report.
Several months later, on Oct. 19, the woman received text messages from Currington that included the nude photos and demands for payment. The alleged victim contacted police, which lead to the Oct. 24 phone call.
The investigation progressed. On Saturday, the woman got a text from Currington that asked where and when they'd be meeting. The meeting was arranged for that day but when Currington showed up, she was arrested.
In questioning, Currington confessed, police said.
"She told the victim that if she did not pay her the $1,500, she would send the photographs to her students and job," the report stated.
Currington faces a charge of extortion. She was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail on Saturday night and released Sunday morning, according to the Sheriff's Office online booking blotter.
