Extortion
Obtaining benefit through coercion by threat of harm.
Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit from an individual or group through coercion, usually by threatening future psychological or physical harm. It is commonly practiced by organized crime and is a criminal offense in most jurisdictions. The term is often used metaphorically for usury or price-gouging, though neither is legally considered extortion.
- field
- Criminal law, organized crime
- known_for
- Coercive obtaining of money, goods, or services through threats
- legal_distinction
- Distinguished from robbery by use of verbal or written threats rather than immediate force
- related_crimes
- Blackmail, protection racket, political corruption
Lore & Background
Extortion, also known as shakedown and exaction, involves obtaining benefit through coercion, typically by threatening future psychological or physical harm. Unlike robbery, which uses immediate personal violence, extortion relies on verbal or written threats. In some jurisdictions, making a threat of violence referring to a payment requirement is sufficient to commit the offense, even if no benefit is obtained. Exaction additionally means inflicting pain or making someone endure something unpleasant.
Reader's Guide
Extortion is a significant concept in criminal law, distinguished from robbery by its reliance on threats rather than immediate force. It encompasses protection rackets, blackmail, and political corruption. In the United States, extortion can be committed with or without force and is considered racketeering activity under federal law. Cyber extortion has emerged as a modern variant, where individuals or groups use the internet to demand material gain, often threatening to exploit security leaks or launch attacks. Bezos by the National Enquirer's parent company, and the 2020 cyber extortion of Finnish health care provider Vastaamo, where patient records were stolen and ransomed. The crime's broad definition includes threats of revealing damaging information or filing reports, making it a versatile tool for coercion.
Did You Know?
- Extortion is sometimes called the 'protection racket' because demands are often phrased as payment for protection from threats.
- In the United States, extortion can be committed across a computer system, phone, by mail, or using any instrument of interstate commerce.
- In England and Wales, extorting property by coercion is the offense of blackmail, covering any 'unwarranted demand with menaces'.
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