RIDGEVILLE, S.C. (WCBD) – A former inmate at Lieber Correctional Institution is facing a slew of charges after extorting $27,000 from a victim while being held at the Ridgeville prison. Christopher Lewis Dendy, Jr., 27, is charged with blackmail/extortion, money laundering, possession of a cell phone by a prisoner, and violating the Computer Crime Act. Warrants provided by the South Carolina Department of Corrections said Dendy used a contraband cell phone to create a fake female profile on a dating app, which he “matched” with a victim. A conversation began between the two, which led to the exchange of images deemed sexual between the victim and a person he thought was a legal-aged female. Dendy is accused of then contacting the victim and claiming the female was a minor and threatened him with criminal exploitation charges unless he paid. “The victim suffered a financial loss of over $27,000 through a series of Cash App payments made by two accounts,” arrest warrants said. The victim lived in another state. Dendy was serving a 10-year sentence at the prison for voluntary manslaughter, armed robbery, and drug charges. He was scheduled to be released on April 1 to community supervision in Greenville. Instead, he was released to the custody of the Dorchester County Detention Center, where he was served with criminal charges. SCDC officials said his bond was set at $120,000 cash. ...read more read less