Hopkins Woman Charged with Blackmailing Prostitution Client

A Hopkins woman has been charged in Dakota County with threatening to show compromising photos of her prostitution client to his wife unless the man paid for her silence.

Lakeyia Shanee Johnson, 32, is charged with two felonies:

• Coercion, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine and
• Attempted coercion, which has a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

According to the criminal complaint, the victim approached police May 22 and said he was the victim of an extortion scheme. The man said he had first contacted Johnson through an adult phone line in December 2010 and had three subsequent sexual encounters with her.

During those encounters, the man told police, “photos were taken” of him in “very compromising situations,” according to the complaint.

Last December, Johnson began to demand cash from the victim, threatening that if he didn’t pay her, she would show the photos to his wife, the court documents state. At some point, Johnson drove to the victim’s home, left an unnamed item at his front door, then sent him a text message, asking how he liked the item, according to the complaint.

The victim told police he thought Johnson left the item at his home to prove she knew where he lived.

The victim kept a ledger showing the amounts he paid to Johnson so she wouldn’t go to his wife, along with the dates the payments were made. Since last December, he has paid her $11,600, according to the complaint.

The victim also provided police with 20 minutes of voice-mail messages from Johnson and 15 text messages in which she threatened to show the photos to his wife if the victim didn’t pay.

On May 25, the victim made a controlled phone call to Johnson, with an Eagan police detective listening in. Johnson asked for $1,500 in cash and asked the victim to deliver it to a location near her Blake Road home that afternoon, according to the complaint.

The victim drove to the meeting spot, called Johnson and told her he was there. Johnson asked for $500 more, telling the victim that her cousins had seen the photos and thought they were worth more money, according to the complaint.

The victim told Johnson he had the money, and officers watched as Johnson approached the victim’s car, then arrested her.

Johnson told police she'd had sex with the victim and that photos had been taken, although she said the victim asked her to take the photos, according to the court documents. She called the victim her “sugar daddy” and denied threatening him with exposure.

Johnson is free on her promise to make all future court appearances, with the stipulation that she stay away from and have no contact with the victim. An omnibus hearing in her case is scheduled June 19 in Dakota County District Court in Hastings.

Stay up to date on all your local news. Sign up for the free Hopkins Patch newsletter, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Editor James Warden's Pinterest boards. Do you own a local business? to learn about five easy ways your business can use Patch.