Teen told his mom kidnappers would kill him — unless she paid $130, SC deputies say

A South Carolina teenager tried to extort money from his own mother by telling her that kidnappers would kill him unless she paid them money, according to authorities.

Emmanuel Franklin, 19, of Covent Garden Drive in Sumter, is charged with blackmail, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday.

Deputies say that Franklin extorted $130 from his mother by causing her to believe “he would be killed by kidnappers if she did not put the money into a mail box” at a home, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.

Franklin’s mother told deputies that the address she was instructed to take the money to is the home of Franklin’s father, according to an incident report.

Blackmail carries a fine of up to $5,000, up to 10 years in prison or both, under South Carolina law.

This story was originally published January 28, 2019 at 1:12 PM.