Murphy signs law that makes sexual extortion a crime

By: Katie Sobko
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey

..... It's now illegal to sue sexual images for extortion purposes in New Jersey. a bill signed by Governor Phil Murphy on Monday [05/08/2023] officially made sexual extortion a third-degree crime.
..... Hacking a device to steal sexual images and then threatening to spread them or coercing someone into taking explicit photos or videos to use them for blackmail now carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, $15,000 in fines or both. Those punishments go up to 10 years in prison and a maximum $150,000 fine if the victim is a minor or someone with development disabilities.
..... Both chambers of the Legislature unanimously passed the bill in February. [2023]
..... Murphy called the law a way to "modernize our laws by bolstering protections for victims of sexual extortion and allowing for harsher penalties to hold perpetrators of these crimes accountable."
..... "In this digital age, the protections we have in place to safeguard our residents must expand to address threats that arise Online," Murphy said in a statement. "As cases of sexual extortion rise across the country, we will work tirelessly to ensure that New Jersey's residents are not exploited or victimized."
..... The National Centers for Missing & Exploited Children, a private nonprofit that received federal funding, said the number of sexual extortion reports doubled between 2019 and 2021.
..... Sexual extortion can start on any site, app, messaging platform or game where people meet and communicate, according to the FBI. That agency said on its website that some cases start with a threat, but they are communicating with someone their own age who is interested in a relationship or with someone who is offering something of value.
..... Authorities have said they have also seen an increase in financial sexual extortion cases that target children. The kids in these cases send sexually explicit materials and then receive threats that the compromising material will be released publicly if they don't send money or gift cards.
..... According to the agency, the offender often releases the victim's sexually explicit material regardless of whether they receive payment. this increasing threat has resulted in an alarming number of deaths by suicide.
..... Anyone who has been exploited can go to tips.fbi.gov for more information about how to report the incident.

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