JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – An undercover investigation led to the arrest of a University of North Florida student accused of threatening to expose explicit photos of a person he met on a dating app, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
Jesse Martinez, 21, is charged with unlawful use of a two-way communication device and making threats with intent to compel.
Police said he threatened to expose nude photos he received from a man he met on the Grindr dating app.
According to the arrest report obtained by News4Jax on Wednesday, Martinez used two different names, "J" and "Mike," in a chat room, and asked the man to exchange nude photos with him.
After the exchange, police said, he threatened to post the photos on the internet if the man didn't meet him for oral sex.
An undercover detective then set up a meeting with "Mike" Tuesday on the UNF campus, where Martinez was taken into custody, according to the arrest report.
“He’s probably done it before and succeeded," said Christopher Hamer, an internet networking security consultant. "And the more he’s successful at it, the more they’re capable of getting their way, the more he’s willing to do it and the more they are immune for prosecution.”
Martinez was booked on Tuesday into the Duval County jail, where he was ordered held on $77,500 bond.
When News4Jax went to Martinez's house on Wednesday, his mother declined to comment about his arrest.
Hamer said this cybercrime happens on multiple social media platforms.
"It happens on Facebook, happens on Tinder, happens on Instagram," Hamer said. "It happens to anyone who has the capacity to exchange images that may or may not be appropriate."
According to Hamer, the best way for people to protect themselves on dating apps is by not sharing intimate photos.
“Certainly don’t exchange anything that you feel that if it got out, would be damaging to your reputation," he said.
News4Jax also learned that Martinez was a volunteer photographer for the Spinnaker at UNF, but was terminated in December.