Woman tried to extort married man who left phone at bar: cops

A woman in Florida tried to extort $500 from a married man who left his cellphone unattended at a bar by threatening to tell his wife he cheated on her, police said.

Briyana Andrea Valls, 22, is facing charges of grand theft and extortion after police in Davie say she victimized a man who went with several friends to Big Dawgs Sports Bar in Pembroke Pines on Tuesday, WPLG reports.

Police said the victim had several drinks at the bar and then briefly left his phone on a table. Hours later, while back at his home, the man started getting several text messages from an unfamiliar number, demanding that he send $300 via a mobile payment service to an account belonging to a woman named Briyana Valls, according to an arrest report.

The man was then threatened in a separate message that his wife would be told he was cheating on her if he didn’t pay up, police said.

“This gentleman didn’t have any idea who this girl was,” Sgt. Mark Leone told the station.

Confused as to who was behind the messages, the victim contacted police the following morning and gave the incriminating texts to detectives. Investigators then placed a controlled call between the man and Valls, who then upped the ante by demanding $500 instead of her initial ask.

Valls told the man to withdraw the cash from his bank and send her a photo of him holding the money. She also gave the victim an address where they could meet for him to pay up, authorities said.

Valls claimed that she had a photo of herself and the man at the bar together and warned that she would send it to his wife if he didn’t comply with her demands.

The man then met Valls Wednesday at the location, where he handed her an envelope containing $500 before she was arrested, authorities said.

Once in custody, Valls confessed she had been lying about the photo of herself at the bar with the man and admitted she concocted the scheme to help offset her brother’s medical expenses.

Hours before the alleged incident, Valls posted a short message on Twitter, seemingly referencing the end of a relationship.