A woman who prosecutors say used LinkedIn to find wealthy men pleaded guilty Tuesday in Manhattan federal court to fraud related to a plot to extort more than $1.2 billion from three victims, one of whom is believed to be Fortress Investment Group co-founder Wes Edens.
“I deeply regret engaging in this conduct, and I knew my conduct was wrong, and I accept responsibility for it,” Changli “Sophia” Luo told U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett, according to a court transcript viewed by Bloomberg. She faces up to 20 years in prison at sentencing in February. The trial was originally scheduled to begin on November 16, before the guilty plea.
Court documents reviewed by Fortune call one of the targets “Victim-1” and leave it unnamed. Bloomberg, citing a person with direct knowledge, reported that it was Edens. A spokesperson for Edens declined to comment. The Wall Street Journal and other media outlets also identified the victim as Edens, co-owner of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks and England’s Aston Villa soccer team.
The story below comes from the complaint, indictments and documents filed by Luo’s prosecutors and lawyers. They lay out the government’s allegations, which Luo’s lawyers had disputed before his plea. The documents state that Victim-1 denies Luo’s allegations against him. Luo’s lawyer did not respond to requests for comment.
From LinkedIn to mediator
Luo cold messaged Victim-1 on LinkedIn in November 2022 to discuss business activity, according to court documents. After a few meetings, the two had sex in his apartment in midtown Manhattan in June 2023.
Several days later, prosecutors say, Luo sent Victim-1 a letter professing his love, even though she had only met him in person three times. In the weeks and months that followed, his messages went from flattering to threatening.
In May 2024, she sent him letters accusing him of misleading her into having sex or, alternatively, having sex with her while she was mentally incapacitated. They said his house was equipped with cameras and “everything (victim-1) did was filmed.” The letters threatened to release said videos to the “media” unless he apologized.
Victim 1 told prosecutors she agreed to mediation because she believed it would spare her family harassment and public embarrassment, according to the documents. In August 2024, he agreed to pay “several million dollars” and made a first payment.
The documents allege that starting in November, Luo demanded more through the ombudsman: at least $900 million, rising to $1.215 billion by January 2025, with threats to report criminal acts to “government offices.”
On March 29, 2025, his lawyer relayed a new demand for $50 million, according to an email exchange cited in the complaint. If Victim-1 didn’t take “responsibility,” the message said, Luo was determined to “destroy” her. She had at least two videos and photos of the encounter, he added, and she would share them with “criminal investigators,” her business partners and the “federal government.” Victim 1 did not pay.
“Later the same day, Luo’s attorney confirmed the accuracy of what Luo had asked him to convey to Victim-1’s attorney,” court documents state. “Luo’s lawyer also indicated that Luo wanted Victim-1 to know that she wanted to make Victim-1’s children suffer. Victim-1 did not comply with Luo’s extortion demands.”
Prosecutors say images from his devices were altered. On the day of the $50 million demand, a WeChat conversation on one of his phones showed pornographic images arriving and sent back with Victim 1’s face grafted on, the complaint states. The forensic examination indicated she made the changes that day, prosecutors wrote.
Search and arrest
FBI agents arrived with a search warrant around 6:10 a.m. on May 28, 2025, according to the complaint. He says they called her 15 times, texted her and knocked, and she didn’t answer. After approximately 20 minutes, officers entered with a key provided by building staff.
Once inside, prosecutors say she tried to hide evidence. A phone sat between dirty clothes in a bathroom basket. A dog trained to detect electronic devices then alerted law enforcement to a package of sanitary napkins, where officers found a purple iPhone and two USB drives. The purple phone contained the altered images, the complaint states. The indictment also alleges that she deleted incriminating photographs and videos from a phone after learning of the investigation.
Court records show Luo was arrested on June 14, 2025. Her release conditions included house arrest with GPS monitoring, a ban on using WeChat and an order to avoid contact with Victim-1 or her family outside of the presence of her lawyers.
In February this year, Luo’s lawyers asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing that prosecutors were criminalizing settlement negotiations. They said his requests came from a mediator or lawyer and were related to a “permanent injury” claim. Prosecutors responded that whether the conduct was wrongful and whether she had a legitimate claim was a question reserved for the jury.
Two other men
Some charges involve “Victim-2” and “Victim-3” and include device fraud and identity theft. Prosecutors say Luo lured men into relationships “with the primary goal of stealing their money and property.” They say Victim 2 bought him a $2,000 MacBook after a drink, photographed his credit card and a few weeks later made a $4,500 purchase at the Apple Store. Luo asked the court to try the charges separately, but prosecutors objected.
Prosecutors say Luo cold-called Victim-3, pretending to solicit donations for his “purported nonprofit.” After a few dates, she asked him to buy her a luxury coat, and in December 2023, he agreed to a price of around $6,000. She then asked him to buy her a first-class ticket to China for about $12,000, according to prosecutors. When he offered her a bus ticket, she became angry and demanded about $50,000 in spending money, which he refused. Prosecutors say she also asked Victim 2 for between $50,000 and $100,000 for a “business opportunity,” and he also refused.
Prosecutors said in a filing that they would use notes from Luo’s electronic devices to show she intended to use men to finance her lifestyle. A 2023 entry attributed “bills and grocery money” to a man, they said, with other entries for “meals,” “rent,” “hooks” and “building a house.” At least one entry from 2023 mentions Victim-1 and Victim-2 together. Prosecutors wrote that Luo “does not appear to have had any legitimate income at this time” and that in demanding more than $1 billion, she falsely claimed that Victim-1 was her only sexual partner for a period of time.
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