Police: Texas man extorted Naperville teen over nude photos

Naperville police issued a warning to parents Monday after the arrest of a Texas man accused of extorting a local teenager he’d tricked into sending him nude photos.

Police said it’s the 27th “sextortion” case they have investigated in the last two years, with nearly half involving juvenile victims.

“This is called sextortion, and it’s a growing problem in our society that every family should be aware of,” Naperville police Chief Jason Arres said in Monday’s announcement.

Cody D. Ratliff, 39, of Kerrville, Texas, is charged with intimidation, by threatening to expose the teen to hatred, contempt or ridicule, and intimidation, by threatening to send the explicit photos to the 16-year-old’s family and friends, police said. Both charges are felonies.

According to police, the boy reported in February 2023 that he had sent explicit images of himself to someone who told him they were a 16-year-old girl.

Authorities allege the suspect then found the teen’s friends and relatives on social media and threatened he would send them the photos unless the teen sent him money.

The teen initially paid the suspect, who then demanded more money, authorities allege.

Ratliff was indicted in November and arrested Feb. 9, police said. He was released a day later because the charges are nondetainable offenses. DuPage County Judge Joshua Dieden ordered Ratliff to stay in Illinois while the case is pending and to avoid contact with people under the age of 18.

Arres urged parents to talk to their children about online safety.

“Victims often comply with the offender’s demands for money or more pictures because they’re scared or embarrassed,” he added. “They try to make the problem go away, but compliance rarely ends the victimization.”

Anyone in a similar situation is asked to call police at (630) 4250-6666. Additional information and resources are available through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The nonprofit organization Childhelp also recently released free lesson plans and resources to help parents, schools, and community groups protect youth from online exploitation.

Ratliff is listed on the Texas Sex Offender Registry, with a conviction for promotion of child pornography.