Man faked “dark web” blackmail plot to force his girlfriend’s teen sister into sex

A New Jersey man allegedly blackmailed his girlfriend’s teen sister into having sex on camera by claiming the “dark web” would release compromising photos of her if she refused.

Bryan Cruz-Urena, 24, of Trenton, was held without bail Friday on five counts of sexual assault and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child after the 14-year-old girl told cops they had sex multiple times between September 2018 and June 2019 as part of his twisted scheme, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by the Trentonian.

The victim, the sister of Cruz-Urena’s girlfriend, told investigators late last month that she was 13 when she first received a bizarre text message in 2018 directing her to get her “mom’s phone and we can see what we can do from there,” the affidavit states.

She proceeded to block the phone number before reaching out to to Cruz-Urena, then 22, for advice. But he allegedly abused the young girl’s trust, telling her the menacing message was from the “dark web” and urging her to unblock the number and follow its instructions, police records show.

Cruz-Urena warned the teen the “dark web” had a photo of her holding a bag of marijuana which it would “use against her” if she failed to comply with demands to take photos of herself in her underwear, topless, and while masturbating, according to the affidavit.

The teen did as Cruz-Urena said, later sending him the pictures after he claimed he would have to act as an intermediary between her and the “dark web” due to “technical difficulties,” the affidavit states.

In September 2018, Cruz-Urena allegedly sent the victim a message instructing her to leave the back door of her home open.

He then came over and told the girl the “black web” wanted them to have sex and record it on his cell phone as proof.

Afterwards, Cruz-Urena “warned her not to say anything to anybody because he would get in trouble due to their age difference,” according to the affidavit.

He later told the victim the “dark web” was dissatisfied with the poor video quality and that they would need to have sex again, which they did on multiple occasions between September 2018 and June 2019, the affidavit alleges.

When Trenton police first interviewed Cruz-Urena about the allegations, he claimed he had simply advised the girl to tell her mother about the sinister text, documents state.

Cruz-Urena was initially charged Sept. 24. The judge at his detention hearing on Friday ordered that he be held without bail, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office said.