According to federal prosecutors, an ex-lover allegedly blackmailed Wesley Edens, the owner of the Milwaukee Bucks, demanding half of his money. Authorities have accused Changli “Sophia” Luo of four offenses related to the alleged extortion plan, including Blackmail and Destruction, Alteration or Falsification of Records in Federal Investigations.
The criminal complaint, according to the Wall Street Journal, states that Edens and Luo initially met in November 2022 and had “a handful” of in-person meetings before a sexual encounter in June 2023. Edens’ marriage to his wife, Lynn, had ended in 2021. After the encounter, when she sent him a letter, he allegedly did not respond.
Luo, 46, accused the Bucks owner of misleading her and claimed that she was “mentally incapacitated or mentally disabled” at the time of their encounter.
She claimed to have photos and tapes of their encounter
She allegedly threatened for months to make public tapes and pictures of the NBA owner having sex with her. Luo stressed in text messages to Edens that her “home has cameras” and that everything he “did was caught on camera.” If Edens did not apologize, Luo allegedly threatened to reveal the footage to the “mass media.” She also allegedly threatened to approach investors and contacted the 64-year-old Edens’ relatives.
Wesley Edens paid her off, but she wanted much more
Edens rejected her accusations and agreed to a settlement with her, paying her a sum of money to prevent further harassment of his family. Court records show he agreed to pay her $6.5 million with $1 million upfront. In January 2025, Luo sent another list of blackmail demands, including $1.215 billion.
While Wesley Edens is not specifically named in the case, which is set to go to trial later this year, the Wall Street Journal confirmed he is the blackmail victim described in the indictment.
“Mr. Edens will be making no comment on the case as the indictment speaks for itself with respect to the charges against the defendant,” a spokesperson for Edens told the Wall Street Journal, adding, “Mr. Edens expects to testify under oath at the upcoming trial.”