Wes Edens — the billionaire co-owner of the Milwaukee Bucks — is now at the center of a federal extortion case that turned a corporate dispute into a very expensive personal disaster.
According to court documents obtained by The New York Post, federal prosecutors allege that Changli “Sophia” Luo, a 46-year-old entrepreneur and nonprofit founder, targeted Edens after initially contacting him on LinkedIn in 2022. Luo initially approached Edens under the guise of networking and philanthropy before the conversations turned personal. By 2023, the two had met in Manhattan and started what prosecutors described as a brief sexual relationship.
Things allegedly unraveled after Edens and Luo had sex at her Manhattan apartment during their third in-person meeting in June 2023.
Prosecutors say Edens initially agreed to a $6.5 million settlement, including $1 million upfront, to keep the situation private. Luo then claimed she had contracted HPV and blamed Edens for the diagnosis. Prosecutors allege that after learning about the infection, Luo attempted to renegotiate the agreement and demanded as much as $1.215 billion — nearly half of Edens’ estimated fortune.
Luo has been charged with four federal counts tied to the alleged extortion scheme, including blackmail and destruction of records, after she threatened to release explicit photos and videos involving Edens while also contacting members of his family and business circle as pressure tactics.
She has pleaded not guilty to all charges and was later released on a $500,000 bond under home detention conditions while awaiting trial in Manhattan federal court later this year.
Prosecutors have indicated that Edens is expected to testify during the proceedings.
Edens, 64, is one of the most recognizable owners in professional sports — the face of the Bucks’ transformation from a struggling franchise to an NBA champion, the co-owner of Aston Villa F.C., and a billionaire financier whose family has become unusually public-facing.
His daughters, Mallory Edens and Madison Edens, became fixtures in fashion campaigns, celebrity events, and NBA culture during Milwaukee’s rise into one of basketball’s marquee brands.
Since purchasing the Bucks in 2014, he helped oversee the construction of Fiserv Forum, the franchise’s 2021 NBA title run, and the team’s evolution into a global brand.
His business empire also stretches across private equity, energy, transportation, esports, and tequila ventures tied to other high-profile sports owners, including Michael Jordan.
