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AMC Theatres CEO Adam Aron admitted this week that he was a victim of catfishing after a blackmailer threatened to release explicit photos of him to his company’s board and his son.
After only being named “Victim 1” in a 2022 federal indictment against the blackmailer, now identified as Sakoya Blackwood, Aron was compelled to come forward with his story after Semafor published a story about the catfishing attempt.
In March 2022, Blackwood began texting Aron under the name “Mia.” She sent photos of a person that her attorneys later said was a 17-year-old Russian model. (Prosecutors said the photo was of a Russian model but didn’t specify an age.)
Aron, who has been married since 1987, mistook her for a woman with whom he’d had a prior relationship, asking whether she was a ballerina who had done “unmentionable things” to him, according to court documents. The two began trading messages, and Aron eventually sent her explicit pictures, including of him and another woman, according to the government’s sentencing memo.
Aron only informed the AMC Theatres board about the incident after Blackwood was sentenced in July to time already served.
On Thursday, Adam Aron penned a very lengthy explanation about the blackmailing scam on X (formerly known as Twitter).
“By definition, I live my life in the public eye,” Aron wrote. “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.
“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?
“A vigorous federal criminal investigation ensued which resulted in the extortionist being arrested, convicted of a felony, and spending nearly a year in jail.
“At the time of the arrest, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York commended my having reported the matter to the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice.
“This was entirely a personal matter.
“I was asked by law enforcement to keep this matter confidential during their investigation and subsequent court case. Shortly after the extortionist’s July 2023 sentencing, I informed AMC’s Board of Directors which thoroughly reviewed these events with independent outside counsel at WilmerHale. As I said above, this indeed was entirely a personal matter, and the matter is closed.
“And now, I am reporting this to all of you.”
AMC’s board told Semafor in a statement, “The board retained independent counsel, WilmerHale, to look into the incident. The board determined it was a personal matter, and considers the issue resolved.”
AMC Theatres CEO Adam Aron previously made news when he appeared to be pantsless during a 2021 YouTube interview discussing the company’s stock.