Trenton, NJ (KYW Newsradio) — Lawmakers in New Jersey advanced a bill that would make threats of sextortion illegal.
“This is a serious issue,” said Republican Assemblywoman Aura Dunn, who represents parts of Morris and Somerset counties. “It is a form of sexual assault, and now we have reports of young people taking their lives over these circumstances.”
Sextortion is when someone threatens to release nude pictures of a person to their friends or family if demands aren’t met. The demands are typically for more pictures or an in-person meeting, and Dunn says teenage boys are commonly victims of this. It’s already a crime in several states, including Pennsylvania.
In New Jersey, it’s only a crime if the suspect follows through on those threats. Dunn’s bill, A343, would change that, making the threats illegal as well.
“It’s the missing piece of the legal framework that’s already in existence, so we’re kind of catching up,” Dunn said.
Dunn highlighted a recent case of a youth pastor who admitted to posing as a teen girl to get boys to send him nude photos and then releasing those pictures to the victim’s friends when other demands weren’t met.
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Her bill would make sextortion a three to five year sentence and five to 10 years if the victims are minors or disabled adults.
“We want folks to know that particularly, those victims, that they are not alone in this and there is help for them,” Dunn said.
The bill was approved by the Assembly Judiciary Committee and it’s unclear when it’ll be up for a full vote. It still needs to pass both chambers in Trenton before it could be signed into law by Governor Murphy.