NY Woman Charged in $1B Extortion of Bucks Co-Owner

Federal prosecutors in New York have charged Changli Sophia Luo, a 46-year-old Manhattan resident born in China, with attempting to extort more than $1 billion from Wesley Edens, the billionaire co-owner of the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks, following a brief sexual relationship in 2023.

Luo faces four counts, including blackmail, extortion and destruction of records, in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. She was arrested on June 14, 2025, at John F. Kennedy International Airport while attempting to board a flight to China. Luo has pleaded not guilty, was released on $500,000 bond and remains under home detention. Her trial is scheduled for later this year.

According to court filings, Luo first contacted Edens, 64, via LinkedIn in 2022 shortly after his divorce. Luo, who founded a nonprofit organization focused on interviews with entrepreneurs and environmentalists, met Edens in person the following year. Prosecutors allege that during their third meeting in June 2023, the two had sex at her Manhattan apartment. Luo later sent Edens a message expressing affection, stating, "I never told you I love you, and tonight I want to tell you that, I have been restraining my feeling for you, as I...