A social media influencer has been implicated in legal proceedings over an alleged sextortion scheme targeting wealthy married businessmen, court documents reveal. Kane Samms, 35, is named in two High Court cases brought by men who say they were drawn into online relationships and subsequently threatened with the exposure of intimate images unless they paid substantial sums of money. Samms denies any involvement.

The allegations center on men who believed they were communicating with young women via the luxury dating platform Seeking. After exchanging private messages and photos, the businessmen claim they faced blackmail attempts demanding payment to prevent the release of sensitive material to their spouses, families, and professional contacts.

One plaintiff, described as a successful entrepreneur from New York, paid approximately $50,000 (£39,000) after assurances the material would be deleted. However, he alleges the threats resumed within a week, leading to demands for an additional £100,000. A second businessman contends he transferred over £90,000 over a four-month period as the extortion continued and intensified.

Samms, who also presents himself online as a bulldog breeder and amateur boxer, is one of four men named in emergency injunctions seeking to halt the dissemination of private content. A father of two, he is due to be sentenced next month following a conviction for assault and intentional strangulation.

Until recently, Samms was in a relationship with TikTok personality Natalia Armstrong, 25. The couple had publicly shared moments from their life together, including the birth of their daughter. Friends say Armstrong ended the relationship last week upon learning of the allegations and has since returned to her family home near Doncaster. She is reported to be "horrified" and unaware of the alleged activities.

A friend of Armstrong stated that she wants to distance herself from Samms and focus on raising her child.

None of the men named in the proceedings have been convicted of any offense related to the allegations. However, during the High Court hearings, a judge reviewed evidence suggesting the existence of a coordinated blackmail operation.

When contacted at his residence in Manchester, Samms denied the claims. He stated that he did not authorise, facilitate, or knowingly engage in any blackmail, nor did he benefit financially. He asserted that his bank details had been used without his knowledge or consent for purposes unknown to him and firmly rejected any involvement in such criminal conduct.