Weston Sextortion Lawyer
If you have been accused of unlawfully disseminating or threatening to disseminate intimate images, the next steps you take to defend yourself in court could have an immense impact on the rest of your life.
A Weston sextortion lawyer could help protect your best interests and help you fight your case.
How Does State Law Classify Sextortion Offenses?
In most situations, state authorities prosecute the act of nonconsensual dissemination of explicit material in one of two ways. Connecticut General Statutes §53a-189c establishes the “unlawful dissemination of an intimate image” as a discrete criminal act. In order for someone to be convicted under this section of state law, the defendant must have intentionally sent a sexually explicit depiction of another person to someone other than the subject of said material, while also knowing that the subject expected the material to remain private and causing the subject to suffer harm as a direct consequence of the dissemination.
Alternatively, if someone threatens to disseminate an intimate image unless the subject of said image pays them off or gives them something of value, they may be charged with what is colloquially known as “sextortion.” As per Connecticut General Statutes §53a-119, any instance of extortion is considered a form of larceny, and under Connecticut General Statutes §53a-122(a)(1), it would automatically be prosecuted as larceny in the first degree.
Is Sextortion a Misdemeanor or a Felony Offense?
The consequences that could come from a conviction for “sextortion” vary significantly depending on what the defendant actually did. If they only disseminated intimate images in order to harm the subject of those images, they may face sanctions upon conviction commensurate with a class A misdemeanor, meaning they could face a maximum of $2,000 in fines and a year in state jail at most. Recent legislative efforts in Connecticut have had the goal of making this offense a class D felony. So the consequences for a violation of C.G.S. §53a-189c may soon become much more severe.
Conversely, since larceny via extortion is always considered larceny in the first degree, anyone who compels someone else to give them money, goods, or services by threatening to disseminate an intimate image of that person could face class B felony charges punishable by a minimum of one and a maximum of 20 years of imprisonment, as well as a $15,000 fine. Working with a skilled sextortion lawyer in Weston may be especially important when facing charges of this magnitude.
To learn more about building a strong defense, click here.
Learn More by Talking to a Weston Sextortion Attorney
Extortion is a serious offense and needs to be handled with care and diligence. Let the skilled lawyers at Mark Sherman Law help you. You can read our certified client reviews at avvo.com here and then call to determine what the best path forward is for you.