Is Blackmail Illegal in Alabama? Extortion Degrees and Penalties

Yes, blackmail is a crime in Alabama, charged as extortion under Ala. Code 13A-8-13 through 13A-8-15. Alabama has no offense named blackmail: a person commits extortion "if he knowingly obtains by threat control over the property of another, with intent to deprive him of the property," and the degree depends on the kind of threat, with first-degree extortion a Class B felony and second-degree extortion a Class C felony. A separate crime, sexual extortion (13A-6-241), is also a Class B felony.

Information last verified on October 17, 2026. This article has not been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

Jurisdiction scope: This article covers Alabama's extortion statutes (Ala. Code 13A-8-13 to 13A-8-15) and the threat definition in 13A-8-1, the sexual extortion statute (13A-6-241), the felony sentencing and fine statutes (13A-5-6 and 13A-5-11), the general attempt statute (13A-4-2), and related offenses (13A-6-240, 13A-8-43). It does not cover what to do if you are being threatened or how to get images removed (see our sextortion scams guide), the posting of intimate images itself (see revenge porn laws by state), federal offenses (covered on our extortion and blackmail laws by state hub), or local ordinances.

What is extortion in Alabama?

Alabama places extortion in the theft article of its criminal code, but it is a separately named crime with its own degrees. Section 13A-8-13 defines it in one sentence:

"A person commits the crime of extortion if he knowingly obtains by threat control over the property of another, with intent to deprive him of the property."

The definition has three elements:

• The mental state: the person acts "knowingly" and "with intent to deprive" the owner of the property.
• The means: a "threat," a term defined in section 13A-8-1 (quoted below).
• The result: the person "obtains... control over the property of another."

The theft article's definitions are broad. "Property" in 13A-8-1 includes "any money, tangible or intangible personal property," a "contract right, chose-in-action, interest in a claim to wealth, credit, or any other article or thing of value of any kind." "Obtains" means, in relation to property, bringing about a transfer or purported transfer of a legally recognized interest in it, and "in relation to labor or service, to secure performance thereof."

Is blackmail a separate crime in Alabama?

No. Blackmail is not the name of any Alabama offense. It is the everyday word for the conduct sections 13A-8-13 to 13A-8-15 describe, such as obtaining money by threatening to reveal a secret.

Alabama extortion penalties

The prison ranges come from section 13A-5-6(a): "not more than 20 years or less than two years" for a Class B felony and "not more than 10 years or less than one year and one day" for a Class C felony. The fine limits come from section 13A-5-11(a): not more than $30,000 for a Class B felony, not more than $15,000 for a Class C felony, or "any amount not exceeding double the pecuniary gain to the defendant or loss to the victim caused by the commission of the offense."

Section 13A-5-6(a)(6) sets a minimum of not less than 10 years "for a Class B or C felony in which a firearm or deadly weapon was used or attempted to be used in the commission of the felony, or a Class B felony sex offense involving a child as defined in Section 15-20A-4."

Extortion under 13A-8-13 requires obtaining control over the property. An unsuccessful attempt is charged under Alabama's general attempt statute, 13A-4-2, which grades attempted extortion in the first degree (a Class B felony) as a Class C felony and attempted extortion in the second degree (a Class C felony) as a Class D felony, punishable by 1 year and 1 day to 5 years (13A-5-6(a)(4)).

Is extortion always a felony in Alabama?

Yes. Section 13A-8-14(b) makes extortion in the first degree a Class B felony and section 13A-8-15(c) makes extortion in the second degree a Class C felony. Neither section turns on the value of the property, so a small demand and a large one fall in the same class when the same kind of threat is used. Section 13A-6-241(b) makes sexual extortion a Class B felony.

What kinds of threats count?

Section 13A-8-1(14) defines a threat as "a menace, however communicated, to":

• a. "Cause physical harm to the person threatened or to any other person;"
• b. "Cause damage to property;"
• c. "Subject the person threatened or any other person to physical confinement or restraint;"
• d. "Engage in other conduct constituting a crime;"
• e. "Accuse any person of a crime or cause criminal charges to be instituted against any person;"
• f. "Expose a secret or publicize an asserted fact, whether true or false, tending to subject any person to hatred, contempt, or ridicule;"
• g. "Reveal any information sought to be concealed by the person threatened;"
• h. "Testify or provide information or withhold testimony or information with respect to another's legal claim or defense;"
• i. "Take action as an official against anyone or anything, or withhold official action, or cause such action or withholding;"
• j. "Bring about or continue a strike, boycott, or other similar collective action to obtain property which is not demanded or received for the benefit of the group which the actor purports to represent;"
• k. "Do any other act which would not in itself substantially benefit the actor but which is calculated to harm substantially another person with respect to his or her health, safety, business, calling, career, financial condition, reputation, or personal relationships."

Section 13A-8-14 cross-references items a and c of this list for extortion in the first degree. Section 13A-8-15 cross-references items b and d through k for extortion in the second degree. Sections 13A-8-14 and 13A-8-15 refer to these items as paragraph (13), the definition's number before section 13A-8-1 was renumbered; the threat definition now appears as paragraph (14). The definition applies to a menace "however communicated," and item f reaches an asserted fact "whether true or false."

Is it extortion to threaten to sue, report someone, or post a bad review?

The statutory list answers part of this question. Item e covers a threat to "accuse any person of a crime or cause criminal charges to be instituted against any person," which is a second-degree threat. Section 13A-8-15(b) then provides a written exclusion for that kind of threat:

"A person is not liable under this section for a threat, as defined in paragraph (13)e of Section 13A-8-1, if he honestly claims the property as restitution or indemnification for harm done in the circumstances to which the threat relates, or as compensation for property or lawful services. The burden of injecting the issue of claim of right is on the defendant, but this does not shift the burden of proof."

The exclusion in 13A-8-15(b) is tied to the accuse-of-a-crime threat. The definition's list does not name a threat to file a civil lawsuit, although item h covers a threat to testify, provide information, or withhold testimony or information "with respect to another's legal claim or defense," and item f covers a threat to publicize an asserted fact tending to subject a person to hatred, contempt, or ridicule. How these provisions apply to a particular demand is a question for a lawyer licensed in Alabama.

Sextortion laws in Alabama

Yes, Alabama has a specific sexual extortion crime. Section 13A-6-241(a), as amended effective October 1, 2025, provides that a person commits sexual extortion "if he or she does any of the following":

"(1) Knowingly causes or attempts to cause another individual to engage in sexually explicit conduct by communicating any threat to injure the body, property, or reputation of any individual. (2) Knowingly causes or attempts to cause another individual to produce any photograph, digital image, video, film, or other recording of any individual, whether recognizable or not, engaged in any act of sexually explicit conduct by communicating any threat to injure the body, property, or reputation of any individual. (3) Knowingly threatens to release or transmit any photograph, digital image, video, film, or other recording of any individual, whether recognizable or not, engaged in any act of sexually explicit conduct in order to compel or attempt to compel the victim to do any act or refrain from doing any act against his or her will."

Sexual extortion is a Class B felony (13A-6-241(b)), which carries 2 to 20 years under 13A-5-6(a)(2). Sexual extortion is listed as a sex offense in section 15-20A-5(31). When the victim is a child, defined in section 15-20A-4 as a person who has not attained the age of 12, the 10-year minimum in 13A-5-6(a)(6) applies, so the range is 10 to 20 years. For this section, "sexually explicit conduct" has the meaning given in section 13A-12-190 (13A-6-241(c)). Unlike the extortion definition in 13A-8-13, which turns on obtaining control over property, paragraph (3) is written in terms of compelling the victim to do or refrain from doing any act against his or her will.

Section 13A-6-240, which covers distributing a private image, is a separate offense with no threat element. A first violation is a Class A misdemeanor, and a subsequent adjudication or conviction is a Class C felony (13A-6-240(f)).

If you or someone you know is being threatened with the release of images, our sextortion scams guide covers reporting and image-removal steps. For Alabama's rules on AI-generated sexual images, see Alabama deepfake laws, and for image-sharing crimes nationally, revenge porn laws by state.

Related Alabama offenses people confuse with extortion

• Robbery in the third degree, section 13A-8-43. Robbery happens "in the course of committing a theft," when the person uses force against the owner or anyone present, or "threatens the imminent use of force against the person of the owner or any person present with intent to compel acquiescence to the taking of or escaping with the property." It is a Class C felony. Extortion under 13A-8-13 is defined by obtaining control of property by a threat from the 13A-8-1 list, which is not limited to imminent force.
• Distributing a private image, section 13A-6-240. Covered above; it has no threat or demand element.
• Theft and fraud. Alabama's theft degrees are covered on our Alabama theft laws page, and fraud and scam offenses on our Alabama scam and fraud laws page.

Recent changes

Senate Bill 35 of the 2025 Regular Session, enacted as Act 2025-302 and effective October 1, 2025, amended section 13A-6-241 "to add additional activity that would constitute the crime of sexual extortion." It added paragraph (3), which covers knowingly threatening to release or transmit a sexually explicit recording to compel an act or omission. It also rewrote paragraphs (1) and (2) so that both now refer to "sexually explicit conduct," defined by reference to section 13A-12-190 in new subsection (c), in place of the earlier list of specific sexual acts. The section's legislative history credits Acts 2017-414, 2019-465 and 2025-302.

Federal law

Federal law also reaches interstate threats and extortion, separately from Alabama's statutes; our extortion laws hub covers the federal offenses.

Related pages

• Extortion and blackmail laws by state
• Alabama theft laws
• Alabama deepfake laws
• Alabama scam and fraud laws
• Sextortion scams: what to do

This article provides general legal information about Alabama criminal statutes as of October 17, 2026. It is not legal advice. For advice about a specific situation, contact a lawyer licensed in Alabama.

Last updated: October 17, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is blackmail illegal in Alabama?

Yes. Alabama charges blackmail-type threats as extortion under Ala. Code 13A-8-13 to 13A-8-15: a Class B felony in the first degree and a Class C felony in the second degree. No Alabama offense is named blackmail.

Is extortion a felony in Alabama?

Yes. Extortion in the first degree (threats of physical harm or physical confinement or restraint) is a Class B felony with 2 to 20 years, and extortion in the second degree (the other listed threats) is a Class C felony with 1 year and 1 day to 10 years, regardless of value (13A-8-14, 13A-8-15, 13A-5-6).

Is threatening to expose a secret extortion in Alabama?

A threat to expose a secret or publicize an asserted fact, whether true or false, tending to subject any person to hatred, contempt, or ridicule is one of the threats listed in 13A-8-1. Used to knowingly obtain control over another's property with intent to deprive, it is extortion in the second degree, a Class C felony.

Is it extortion to threaten to report a crime unless someone pays?

A threat to accuse any person of a crime is a second-degree threat under 13A-8-1 and 13A-8-15. Section 13A-8-15(b) states that a person is not liable for that kind of threat if he honestly claims the property as restitution or indemnification for harm done in the circumstances to which the threat relates, or as compensation for property or lawful services; how it applies to a specific demand is a question for an Alabama lawyer.

Is attempted extortion a crime in Alabama?

Yes. Extortion under 13A-8-13 requires obtaining control over the property, so an unsuccessful attempt is charged under the general attempt statute, 13A-4-2. Attempted first-degree extortion is a Class C felony, and attempted second-degree extortion is a Class D felony, punishable by 1 year and 1 day to 5 years (13A-5-6(a)(4)).

Is sextortion a crime in Alabama?

Yes. Sexual extortion under Ala. Code 13A-6-241 is a Class B felony, punishable by 2 to 20 years, or 10 to 20 years when the victim is a child under 12 (13A-5-6(a)(6)). Since October 1, 2025, it covers knowingly threatening to release or transmit a sexually explicit recording to compel the victim to do or refrain from doing any act against his or her will, as well as using threats to injure body, property or reputation to cause sexually explicit conduct or a sexual recording.