Extortion means demanding or obtaining property from another through the use of threats, coercion, or intimidation. This can include threats of physical harm or some form of blackmail such as threats to cause harm to one's reputation, livelihood, marriage etc. Extortion is not usually a violent crime, but it can be, where a person is forced into involuntarily submitting to sexual acts in exchange for a person not filing a criminal complaint, revealing defamatory information to the public, or not injuring the victim. Of course, extorting or blackmailing someone into having sex with you is also rape.

In some states extortion has only occurred when money or property has actually changed hands as a result of the threat. In other states, just the threat is enough to constitute extortion.





(Reviewed 12-08)