JUAN A. LOZANO, Associated Press
HOUSTON (AP) — A Louisiana man is to be sentenced after he pleaded guilty to running an extortion scheme that authorities believe led a Texas A&M University professor to commit suicide.
Daniel Timothy Duplaisir of Metairie, La., is to be sentenced on Monday in Houston federal court. He faces up to two years in prison.
Authorities say Duplaisir lured James Arnt Aune into a sexually explicit online relationship by pretending to be an underage girl. Later, Duplaisir pretended to be the girl’s outraged father, and demanded money to keep the relationship secret.
Aune jumped to his death from a campus building in January. Court records show text messages between Duplaisir and the 59-year-old Aune indicate the threats to publicize the relationship contributed to the communication professor’s decision to commit suicide.