I'm not sure how using Bitcoins would have helped. He could have easily purchased Bitcoins. But using them to anonymously pay his blackmailer(s) would have been nontrivial. Even if he had known how, or had advice from someone who did, I suspect that he'd have been pushing the limits of most mixing services. Also, the US classifies Bitcoins as capital investments. And so he would have had to report gains and losses in his income tax returns.