The Santa Monica Mirror reports:

A man has pleaded guilty to using Craigslist, among other sites, to extort hundreds of thousands of dollars from Santa Monica and Los Angeles men who responded to ads offering gay sex services.

28-year-old Tyler Buchanan pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal felony charges using an interstate facility to facilitate an unlawful activity, transmitting threatening communications with intent to extort, receiving and disposing of proceeds of extortion and criminal forfeiture.

Buchanan, who remains in federal custody due to being deemed a risk to flee, faces up to 10 years in federal depending on the outcome of a sentencing hearing set for May 11.

Buchanan reportedly bought over 1300 hooker ads on Craigslist and blackmailed respondents with their text messages agreeing to hire him for sex. Some apparently paid him thousands per month.