Criminal Extortion is often charged in Denver and Jefferson County when someone blackmails another. A 16-year-old was recently arrested for Criminal Extortion, after posing as someone else online and collecting upwards of 900 sexually explicit and nude photos of his classmates. He then used the photos to blackmail his classmates and extort them. If this had occurred in a Denver or Jefferson County high school, the teenager would likely also face charges for Sexual Exploitation of a Child, or child pornography.

Facing Criminal Extortion charges?

Douglas County Criminal Extortion Lawyer: Definition of Criminal Extortion in Arapahoe County

The Arapahoe and Douglas County, Colorado law definition of Criminal Extortion – C.R.S. 18-3-207 – is:

“(1) A person commits criminal extortion if:

(a) The person, without legal authority and with the intent to induce another person against that other person's will to perform an act or to refrain from performing a lawful act, makes a substantial threat to confine or restrain, cause economic hardship or bodily injury to, or damage the property or reputation of, the threatened person or another person; and

(b) The person threatens to cause the results described in paragraph (a) of this subsection (1) by:

(I) Performing or causing an unlawful act to be performed; or

(II) Invoking action by a third party, including, but not limited to, the state or any of its political subdivisions, whose interests are not substantially related to the interests pursued by the person making the threat.”

Based on the language of the statute, the teen would be charged with this crime because he threatened to release explicit photos – which would damage this classmates' reputation and by releasing the pornographic images of the underage classmates, he would be performing an unlawful act.

Sentence for Criminal Extortion in Adams County

As a class 4 felony in Jefferson and Adams County, Criminal Extortion is punishable by 2 to 6 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections and up to $500,000 in fines. Sometimes in extreme cases, like the one above, the case will be direct filed and the teenager will be charged as an adult. The news article confirmed that the prosecutors in his case will likely be charging the 16-year-old as an adult, especially since he admitted to extorting over 100 people with his blackmail scheme.

Get Help Now

If you or someone you love has been charged with Criminal Extortion, be smart, exercise your right to remain silent, and contact the best criminal defense attorneys from the O'Malley Law Office at 303-830-0880 today. Together, we can protect your future.Request a Free Consultation

Image Source: Pixabay-geralt