{"id":374485,"date":"2018-10-23T16:54:46","date_gmt":"2018-10-23T21:54:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/state\/missouri-law\/missouri-extortion-laws.html"},"modified":"2018-10-24T14:02:50","modified_gmt":"2018-10-24T19:02:50","slug":"missouri-extortion-laws","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/missouri-law\/missouri-extortion-laws.html","title":{"rendered":"Missouri Extortion Laws"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Missouri Extortion Laws<\/h1>\n
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Created by FindLaw’s team<\/a> of legal writers and editors<\/i><\/p>\n\n | Last reviewed\n

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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n

The crime of extortion<\/a> exists when someone forces another person to do something against their will and in order to obtain, or attempt to obtain, money, property, or some advantage. In Missouri, extortion laws are covered by the statute that defines the offenses of "blackmail" and "coercion." These crimes involve making threats to reveal potentially damaging information or threats to intimidate or place the victims in fear.<\/p>\r\n

Revenge Porn Law in Missouri<\/h2>\r\n

On June 1, 2018, Missouri’s "revenge porn" law"<\/a> took effect. This is a related form of blackmail, as this law prohibits threatening to share<\/a> non-consensual sexually-explicit videos or photos of another person that were obtained during an intimate relationship. This is a class E felony, punishable by incarceration of up to four years.<\/p>\r\n

Summary of Missouri Extortion Laws<\/h2>\r\n

Making sense out of the information in a statute can be difficult because of the way that the laws are written. For plain-language answers to your questions, turn to a condensed version of the statute written in everyday language. The chart below provides a basic summary of Missouri’s extortion laws.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Statute<\/b><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

Missouri Revised Statutes:<\/p>\r\n

Elements of the Crime<\/b><\/p>\r\n

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 <\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

Blackmail<\/i><\/p>\r\n

Any threat to reveal damaging or embarrassing information about a person to that person’s spouse, family, associates, or the public at large, including a threat to expose any secret tending to subject any person to hatred, contempt, or ridicule.<\/p>\r\n

Coercion<\/i><\/p>\r\n

Coercion involves any of the following:<\/p>\r\n

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  • Threats of serious harm to or physical restraint against any person;<\/li>\r\n
  • Any scheme, plan, or pattern intended to cause a person to believe that failure to perform an act would result in serious harm to or physical restraint against any person; or<\/li>\r\n
  • The abuse or threatened abuse of the legal process.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n

    Revenge Porn<\/i><\/p>\r\n

    To be convicted of revenge porn in Missouri, the following elements must be met:<\/p>\r\n

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    • Distributing, or threatening to distribute, private sexual images of another person with the intent to harass, threaten, or coerce that person;<\/li>\r\n
    • Obtaining the image(s) via conditions where a reasonable person would know or understand that the image was to remain private;<\/li>\r\n
    • The perpetrator knows or should know that the person in the image didn’t consent to the distribution.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>

Possible Defenses<\/b><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

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  • Mistake of fact<\/li>\r\n
  • Intoxication<\/li>\r\n
  • Insanity<\/li>\r\n
  • Incapacity<\/li>\r\n
  • Duress or necessity<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>

Related Offenses<\/b><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

Missouri Revised Statutes:<\/p>\r\n