AdmireMe was a Los Santos-based online platform that allowed creators to sell adult photographs, videos and other premium material directly to users. The service also offered private messaging and tipping and claimed to be used by hundreds of models across the city. AdmireMe permanently ceased operations in February 2023 after its website was seized and its assets were frozen during a criminal investigation involving its chief executive officer, Leyla Kasteel.
AdmireMe was an online adult content platform headquartered in Burton, Los Santos. It allowed creators to upload and sell private photographs, videos and other premium material directly to users.
The platform also offered private messaging and tipping features, allowing users to communicate with creators and make additional payments. According to archived promotional material, AdmireMe was used by hundreds of models across Los Santos and allowed creators to retain up to 85 per cent of their sales.
AdmireMe ceased operations on February 9, 2023, after its website was seized and its assets were frozen as part of a joint criminal investigation. The platform never reopened and is considered permanently defunct.
Platform and services
AdmireMe operated as a pay-to-view platform specialising in adult material. Creators could publish photographs, videos and other private content that users could access through direct purchases.
Unlike platforms based entirely around recurring subscriptions, AdmireMe promoted individual premium purchases alongside direct interaction between creators and their audiences.
The platform’s principal features included premium content sales, private messaging and user tipping. Creators could receive additional payments through private conversations or voluntary tips from users.
AdmireMe advertised itself as a secure and managed platform that allowed creators to publish content while protecting their identity and personal information. The company stated that it maintained a Los Santos-based moderation team operating around the clock.
Business model
AdmireMe generated revenue by retaining a percentage of each creator’s sales.
Archived promotional material stated that creators could earn up to 85 per cent of the revenue generated by their content. The remaining amount was retained by the company as a platform fee.
Management
Leyla Kasteel served as the chief executive officer and was one of the company’s shareholders.
Paloma Gaitán served as a member of the board and was involved in the company’s financial operations, marketing department and model management division.
Kasteel later stated that AdmireMe had several shareholders and argued that the platform was capable of continuing without her. The identities of the company’s other shareholders were not publicly disclosed.
Closure
At approximately 8:55 p.m. on February 9, 2023, law enforcement agencies closed the streets surrounding AdmireMe’s headquarters in Burton.
Members of the Los Santos County Sheriff’s Department and the Special Enforcement Bureau secured the building while officers executed a search warrant. Armed tactical personnel and canine units were positioned around the headquarters during the operation.
The company’s website was seized by the San Andreas Department of Justice as part of a joint investigation involving the Los Santos County Sheriff’s Department and the Los Santos County District Attorney’s Office.
A notice replacing the website stated that the domain had been seized under a warrant issued in connection with the investigation. The company’s financial assets were also frozen.
Gaitán reportedly became aware of the closure after noticing that the company’s assets had been restricted while she was conducting financial work remotely. She later arrived at the headquarters and assisted investigators in opening a vault inside the building.
The closure immediately removed access to the platform and interrupted the income of creators who depended on AdmireMe. The company never resumed operations.
Investigation
District Attorney Harper Meyer and Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Lacroix attended the search of the AdmireMe headquarters.
Meyer stated that authorities were executing a search warrant and confirmed that the company’s website had been taken offline. She also indicated that some AdmireMe employees were being investigated.
Before the closure, an anonymous employee had accused Meyer of having a personal conflict of interest involving Leyla Kasteel’s former partner. The employee also alleged that Meyer had used public funds to purchase content from AdmireMe.
Meyer denied the accusations and stated that they formed part of the wider investigation. No independent evidence publicly established the claims against her.
Authorities announced that a press conference would be held to explain the investigation. However, no conference took place before Kasteel’s death.
Death of Leyla Kasteel
On February 11, 2023, two days after the closure of AdmireMe, Kasteel was shot and killed by sheriff’s deputies in Little Seoul.
Authorities alleged that she had travelled through the area on a bicycle while firing at deputies. She was shot during the confrontation and pronounced dead at the scene.
The incident was described by authorities as a suspected case of suicide by cop. A standard use-of-force investigation was opened following the shooting.
Kasteel’s death brought an end to the immediate public dispute surrounding her expected arrest and prosecution. Several questions concerning the company’s activities, ownership and financial records remained unresolved.