The criminal offense of sextortion is a form of blackmail or extortion and is committed when a person threatens to publish private nude, pornographic, or explicit photos, videos, or images of another person’s body or sexual activity unless the person provides something of value—such as money, sexual activity, more sexual images, or the performance of sexual acts (often online using webcams).

Sextortion laws vary from state to state and are sometimes part of a state’s laws regarding revenge pornography, blackmail, extortion, bribery, or cyberstalking and are prosecuted under those or other criminal offenses rather than as a specific offense called sextortion. These laws are generally located in a state’s statutes—often in the penal or criminal code—and are sometimes titled with descriptive names such as The Unlawful Disclosure or Promotion of Intimate Visual Material.

In Arizona, sextortion is not recognized as a distinct criminal offense under a specific statute titled 'sextortion.' However, individuals who engage in sextortion can be prosecuted under various existing state laws that criminalize similar conduct. Arizona law addresses related offenses such as harassment, stalking, and unlawful distribution of images, which can encompass acts of sextortion. For instance, Arizona Revised Statutes § 13-1425, known as 'Unlawful Distribution of Images,' makes it illegal to intentionally disclose, display, distribute, publish, advertise, or offer a photo, videotape, film, or digital recording of another person in a state of nudity or engaged in specific sexual activities without the person's consent, with the intent to harm, harass, intimidate, threaten, or coerce the depicted person. This statute is often used to prosecute cases involving revenge pornography, which can overlap with sextortion scenarios. Additionally, extortion and blackmail are criminalized under Arizona Revised Statutes § 13-1804, which could apply to sextortion cases where threats are made to obtain money, property, or services. Victims of sextortion in Arizona may seek the assistance of an attorney to navigate the legal options available to them under these and other relevant statutes.