A Boston man is accused of a sinister dating app ploy that left one user robbed and shaken. Anthony Brimage, 28, allegedly trapped a man in his apartment and forced him to fork over $100 through Apple Pay after meeting on Grindr, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.
According to the District Attorney's Office, the 28-year-old was slapped with kidnapping and unarmed robbery charges and is currently being held on $1,000 bail; the victim, who had hoped for a casual encounter after chatting with Brimage for several months, found himself instead caught in a terrifying ordeal
In the early hours of March 8, Boston police came upon the victim post-escape on Neponset Avenue, where he recounted how a disagreement over money led to him being pinned against the wall and coerced into sending $50, then another $50 under the threat of violence, however, Brimage tells a different story claiming the payments were unsolicited — for "weed and lunch" and "just because" — and that a dispute over sexual services refused by him caused the friction.
While Brimage's account was echoed by his roommate who recalled providing his cell number for the transactions and advising the victim to depart amidst the quarrel, police confirmation of the Apple Pay timeline and Brimage's panic-stricken confession to potential legal trouble, paired with an outstanding warrant for shoplifting, have culminated in his arrest; DA Hayden has issued a stark reminder about the risks of online dating encounters, highlighting the new age of digital theft that preys on the ill-prepared.
