From www.startribune.com – A 46-year-old exotic dancer from Moorhead, Minn., has been charged with extorting $7,000 from a married pastor by threatening to expose their money-for-sex relationship to his wife and church leadership.

Bunny Annette Byington was charged last week in Clay County District Court and released on $500 bail on Thursday.

Once the pastor told Byington that he could come up with no more hush money, Byington followed through on her threat and told the pastor’s wife, a senior pastor and assistant to the bishop about the affair, according to the charges.

She also sent the bishop a photo of the pastor on a bed wearing only his underpants and a T-shirt, the charges say.

According to the criminal complaint:

The pastor, identified in the complaint only as “M.S.O.,” first contacted Byington about three years ago by answering an ad for an exotic dancer. He began seeing her at her home in Fargo for dance shows. Eventually, the pastor started paying Byington for sex.

In March, the pastor said he wanted to stop paying her and hoped they could consider their relationship as an affair.

On May 14, she told the pastor that he had to give her $6,000 to keep her from telling his wife and the bishop about their relationship. He paid her the money, but the threats continued. About two weeks later, she demanded another $3,000. He persuaded her to accept $1,000. On June 5, Byington said she wanted still more money. When the pastor said he couldn’t meet her demand, Byington made good and exposed the relationship.

Six days later, the pastor went to police to report the extortion.