Bond set at $111K for Natchez woman charged with using sexually explicit photos to blackmail victim for money

Published 12:18 pm Friday, March 31, 2023

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VIDALIA, La. — A Natchez woman who allegedly attempted to blackmail someone with sexually explicit videos was booked at the Concordia Parish jail with a $111,000 bond on Wednesday.

Mandy Halford, 41, is charged with nine felonies, including extortion, four counts of identity theft and four counts of bank fraud.

Mandy Halford

She had been arrested a week prior with the help of the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, authorities said.

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In early 2023, Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office Cyber Crime Unit began investigating an alleged “sextortion,” when someone threatens to share a nude or sexual image or video of the victim unless they meet their demands.

CPSO received a complaint from the victim who stated that a former friend — Halford — had stolen multiple checkbooks from his residence and cashed checks from them at four different locations totaling over $2,300.

Additionally, the victim received text messages from Halford threatening to release sexually explicit videos involving him to both his employer and the general public unless he deposited a certain amount of money into her bank account, authorities said.

Further investigation revealed each location that the checks were cashed and additional funds that Halford illegally moved from the victim’s bank account into her account.