Swedish man held for extortion

MANILA, Philippines — A 37-year-old Swedish man was arrested in an entrapment operation at a mall in Taguig City on Sunday for allegedly extorting money from his former partner.

The National Bureau of Investigation-Special Action Unit (NBI-SAU) apprehended Michael William Ryan Lagarde after his former partner, a Filipina, complained that he was demanding P100,000 from her in exchange for not uploading her nude photos and videos on the internet.

NBI-SAU chief Vicente de Guzman presented Lagarde in a press conference yesterday and warned women of his modus operandi in case he is able to post bail in his extortion and swindling cases.

The NBI verified that Lagarde was convicted of multiple charges of fraud in Sweden and was charged with more than 40 similar cases, with most of the victims women between the ages of 25 and 38.

Lagarde’s former partner, a Filipina, told the NBI the suspect took all her money, credit cards and checkbooks after her mother died.

Lagarde’s modus operandi, according to the NBI, is to trawl online dating sites and introduce himself as a former US Marine working as a defense contractor.