A man accused of threatening to post AI-manipulated images online in the sextortion of three women has appeared in court for the first time.
Benjamin Michael Jomaa is accused of sending sexual material to the women without their consent on Facebook messenger and threatening to distribute AI-manipulated images of them online.
The 31-year-old allegedly demanded to be sent more intimate pictures and encouraged one of the women to participate in a sexual act without her consent.
Sexual extortion or 'sextortion' is a form of blackmail where a person threatens to share a nude or sexual image or video unless their victim gives in to their demands.
Police searched Jomaa's home on May 28 at Ettalong Beach on the NSW Central Coast and seized several electronic devices.
He was arrested and charged with 13 offences.
The three women, all aged in their 20s, were allegedly abused by Jomaa online between October 2024 and April 2025.
Jomaa was granted bail after the arrest.
He appeared briefly in Gosford Local Court for the first time on Wednesday, represented by his lawyer Jessica Tohi.
Supported by two people, Jomaa walked out of the court building hidden underneath a coat.
He has been excused from attending court when the matter returns in two weeks and will remain on bail.
