I Made The Mistake Of My Life, And Now A Lawyer Is Blackmailing Me.

To be clear, I'm aware that I'm 100% to blame in this situation, and I consider this the most stupid mistake I have ever made in my entire life. I deserve any consequences I may have to face. I cannot share all the details for safety and privacy reasons, so I would appreciate it if I don't get judged based on assumptions and if I receive unbiased advice.

I met this American lawyer on Facebook. He claimed to be an immigration lawyer and was offering free advice. Since I am planning to travel to a European country and apply for asylum, I contacted him for guidance. He seemed friendly at first and provided me with valuable insights. Then he offered a free video consultation, but to proceed, he demanded my ID so he knew who he was talking to. I hesitated at first, but then I researched him and confirmed he is indeed a lawyer. I found his records, companies registered under his name, verified social media accounts, his service website, etc. I even confirmed his identity further during the video call.

So I agreed and gave him my full name and sent him an ID document. We then proceeded with the video call. I didn't feel comfortable at all during the conversation. He kept asking me about my plans repeatedly, as if he was trying to gather evidence. Sadly, I told him my plan, which is to apply for a visa and then claim asylum.

After the meeting, I strongly regretted engaging with him and tried to stop communicating with him. He continued sending messages for months, which I ignored, until today. He sent me a message via WhatsApp threatening to report me to the authorities for planning to apply for a visa to seek asylum. This would lead to an instant refusal if they found out. For those who don't know, obtaining a visa is the only legal way for me to request asylum, so I am obligated to go through that route.

He sent me evidence, including screenshots of messages, a photo of my ID, and I believe he may also have our video recording, which is even more damaging. He turned out to be a white radical Islamist. I mentioned during our call that I had left Islam. He told me he wasn't blackmailing me but was doing this because I left Islam; that it’s the biggest sin and he wants to punish me (using extremist language). I later confirmed this by finding many photos of him in mosques and with members of the Muslim community.

When he threatened me, I stood my ground and told him he's welcome to send that information to anyone he wants. I showed him he can't achieve anything and that I'm not scared. He then ranted about punishing me for being a traitor to Islam before blocking me on Facebook and WhatsApp.

I feel exhausted thinking about this situation. I don't know whether I should try to do something to fix what can be fixed or just move on and proceed with my visa application, which I plan to submit in a year as if nothing had happened?

Location: California, Morocco, Ireland