Feds say Maryland man tried to blackmail two Boston-area men after he came up here for sex with them and secretly videoed them

A Silver Spring, MD man was arrested on a federal extortion charge today after he allegedly threatened to release images from recordings he made on sex-for-pay visits with two men in eastern Massachusetts.

Brandon D. Kane, 27, faces up to two years in prison and a fine of $250,000 if convicted on the charge of making extortionate threats in interstate commerce, the US Attorney's office in Boston reports, adding Kane is now being held in a facility in Maryland pending his transport to Boston to face the charges here.

According to an affidavit by an FBI agent on the case, in September, 2021, Kane, calling himself Tommy, and his first victim, a doctor, met via an online app and agreed to have sex in the victim's home office.

In the office, Victim 1’s academic degrees were displayed on the wall and cocaine was on a desk next to Victim 1. During the interaction between Tommy and Victim 1, Tommy surreptitiously recorded Victim 1 sitting near his degrees and the cocaine. Victim 1 was too intoxicated to have intercourse with Tommy. Victim 1 paid Tommy $150 over CashApp for coming to Victim 1’s residence and ordered Tommy a ride via a ride-share app.

The next month, the affidavit continues, Kane sent a video to the victim, which showed the man's academic degrees on the wall of his office and cocaine sitting on his desk, and demanded $750 to have the video deleted. The victim sent a total of $600, then texted Kane to leave him alone. Kane, allegedly, did not, and began demanding more money, including $1,250 on Nov. 5 - which came with a non--disclosure agreement he demanded the doctor sign.

The victim sent the money and signed the NDA, but then, on Feb. 25, 2022, Kane wrote again and this time demanding semi-annual payments to keep the video away frmo the victim's spouse and the state Board of Registry in Medicine. The victim sent another $1,250, then went to a lawyer.

When the victim responded to further money demands over three months that Kane contact his lawyer, Kane finally made good on his threat and sent a copy of the video to the public-relations office of the victim's employer and called the Boston Public Health Commission to make what he thought was an anonymous complaint that the victim was abusing cocaine, the affidavit states. The city commission then forwarded the complaint to the state Board of Registration in Medicine - which contacted Kane, and to which he then also sent a copy of the video.

The affidavit continues that the second victim also contact a man who called himself "Eric" on the app, in May, 2022, and agreed to meet with him for some paid sex at the Woburn Crowne Plaza - where they began to have sex, but the victim felt uncomfortable and left the room, the affidavit continues.

On May 16, 2022, "Eric" sent Victim 2 a text message from the cellphone number ending 9155 which read, "Remember seeing me in Woburn? I have video footage of you sucking my dick and bending over for me! If you don’t agree to sign this NDA I will be sending this video to all of your family, friends, and colleagues. You have until 2Pm to make a decision." "Eric" went on to demand a $2,000 payment from Victim 2 and for Victim 2 to sign a NDA.

The affidavit says the second victim tried to send $1,300 via CashApp, but couldn't, because Kane's account by that point was blocked for fraud. However, he was able to send the money via the Zelle app - to an account labeled "C.H.", which the affidavit says are the initials of Kane's fiancee.

The victim then blocked Kane's phone number, but Kane then called him from four different numbers demanding more money.

Once the FBI interviewed the victims and got a look at their text messages and apps, it then became a matter of obtaining records from app and phone companies and Google to track the origins of the messages and phone calls to Kane and his fiancee, the affidavit continues - adding that police in Silver Spring responded to a 911 domestic-violence call at their then home there and that two months later, she obtained a protection order against Kane in a court in New York.

Innocent, etc.