Danbury Sextortion Lawyer
No matter what circumstances led to the allegations against you, a capable sextortion lawyer in Danbury can provide custom-tailored legal guidance throughout your criminal proceedings and work tirelessly to achieve a favorable case outcome on your behalf.
How Does State Law Address “Sextortion?”
“Sextortion” is generally used to refer to someone blackmailing another person into providing or doing something for them by threatening to publicly disseminate material depicting the blackmailed party in a sexual situation. In some situations, this type of action is ostensibly not done for any material or sexual gain but instead to cause public embarrassment or reputational damage to the targeted person, in which case it is sometimes referred to as “revenge porn.”
Both these acts are considered serious criminal offenses under the Connecticut Penal Code. Connecticut court authorities can prosecute an accusation of “sextortion” in one of two different ways depending on exactly what the defendant allegedly threatened to do or allegedly did. The less severe version of this offense is “Unlawful Dissemination of an Intimate Image,” which occurs if—in accordance with Connecticut General Statutes (C.G.S.) § 53a-189c—all the following conditions are met:
- The defendant intentionally disseminated—through electronic or other means—any visual depiction of another person’s intimate areas with a less than fully opaque covering over them or of that other person engaging in sexual intercourse;
- The depicted person is clearly identifiable, either because of distinguishing physical features or being explicitly named as the depicted person in accompanying material;
- The depicted person did not consent to the dissemination and had a reasonable expectation that the material would not be disseminated;
- The depicted person suffered harm as a direct result of the dissemination, including but not restricted to psychological distress, physical or financial injury, and public ridicule; and/or
- The image in question did not result from voluntary exposure in a public place or commercial setting and did not serve the public interest.
This offense is a Class A misdemeanor if the image is sent to just one other person or a Class D felony if the image is sent to multiple people through any computer or telecommunications service. As a Danbury sextortion attorney can further explain, though, threatening to disseminate such an image or doing so to extort money or services from another person is always considered a form of Larceny in the First Degree under C.G.S. § 53a-122, which means it is always a Class B felony.
Contesting Sextortion Allegations
The appropriate defense strategy for a specific allegation of sextortion will vary significantly from case to case, depending on the circumstances surrounding the allegation in question. One thing worth noting in advance is that it is never a good idea for someone accused of this type of offense to delete any electronic messages they previously sent, whether they included the offending material or not.
This is because doing this could be considered “Tampering with Physical Evidence” and prosecuted under C.G.S. § 53a-155 as a Class D felony offense completely separately from the underlying sextortion charge. For this reason, among many others, it is virtually always best to consult with a skilled attorney quickly after being accused of sextortion in Danbury.
Contact a Danbury Sextortion Attorney for Assistance
No matter how it is prosecuted, sextortion is taken seriously by the Connecticut criminal court system. Without experienced defense counsel on your side, you could have serious trouble effectively enforcing your rights and successfully pursuing a favorable outcome from your case.
Guidance is available from a knowledgeable sextortion lawyer with a track record of positive case results in Danbury. Call Mark Sherman Law today to learn more, and visit our Avvo profile to view over 300 certified reviews.