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 Ohio, 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 Ohio laws that criminalize similar conduct. For instance, Ohio Revised Code Section 2917.21 prohibits telecommunications harassment, which can include threatening to share someone's intimate images without consent. Additionally, Ohio's laws against extortion (Section 2905.11) and menacing by stalking (Section 2903.211) may also apply to sextortion cases. These statutes can be used to prosecute individuals who threaten to release private sexual images unless they receive money, sexual favors, or other forms of value. Furthermore, Ohio has a 'revenge porn' law under Section 2917.211, which makes it illegal to distribute private sexual images without consent. Violations of these laws can result in serious criminal penalties, including fines and imprisonment.
