LARGO, Fla. (WFLA) — A Largo man was arrested Thursday on a felony extortion charge after the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said he allegedly threatened an underage girl for nude photographs.
An affidavit states that Gunnar Joseph West, 23, was previously arrested on Jan. 28, 2021 on an extortion charge after he admitted in an interview to threatening multiple girls whom he knew were minors.
In one instance, the affidavit said an investigator asked about a particular girl and asked if West threatened to send the material to her father, to which he responded “possibly, yeah.”
West was released on bond, but the affidavit said a search of his Snapchat history led the investigation to other possible victims, with one underage victim being identified.
The affidavit states that on May 29, 2020, the victim sent photos of herself in her underwear and video chatted with West where he saw her nude.
Authorities said West allegedly told the girl he screen recorded the video chat and created a fake Instagram in her name where he would post the explicit images if she would not send him more.
Following his arrest Thursday, West was released from the Pinellas County Jail Saturday morning on a $7,500 bond.
