A REMINDER OF INTERNET'S DANGERS

MINEOLA, N.Y. - A Long Island couple videotaped sexual encounters they had with people they met over the Internet, then forced them to pay hush money, police said yesterday.

A preliminary investigation has uncovered two victims, but Nassau County police Detective Lt. Ray Cote said there could be dozens of others, given the number of videos and photographs investigators have confiscated.

Police say that Shawn Payne, 34, of East Hampton, and her lover, Michael Largue, 45, of Franklin Square, met potential victims on an Internet site.

On Sunday, a 43-year-old Long Island man told police that he had become involved in a relationship and was being blackmailed to keep it quiet.

"Unbeknownst to our victim, he was videotaped and photographed in compromising sexual positions," Cote said.

Police said they have found a second victim, a 47-year-old woman from upstate New York. They say Largue had a sexual relationship with her and presented himself as a financial adviser, cajoling her into giving him $51,000.

Both alleged victims were in the midst of divorce proceedings - a fact Payne and Largue seized upon to pressure the victims into paying, police said.

Police say Largue held such sway over the female victim that he eventually persuaded her to engage in acts of prostitution. Cote declined to elaborate. *

Associated Press