A St. Louis man was sentenced to eight months of house arrest and five years or probation Tuesday for blackmailing a "medical professional" with information about his use of prostitutes.

Ethan Mikeal Avalos, 27, somehow found out that the man had several "paid sexual encounters" at the Drury Hotel in Chesterfield with a woman that the man met on Craigslist. Avalos used that information to threaten to expose the unidentified man.

Avalos pleaded guilty to an extortion charge in federal court in St. Louis on June 24, admitting accepting a total of $8,000 in 2008. In November 2009, Avalos wanted more, writing in an email, "You are luckier than Tiger you were given the chance to have your big mistake kept away from your wife/media/practice." Instead of paying, the victim went to the FBI.

In addition to the house arrest, Avalos was ordered to repay the $8,000.