Arizona Extortion Laws: Theft by Extortion, Sextortion and Penalties

Blackmail is a crime in Arizona, but the state does not use that word: it charges threat-based demands for property or services as "theft by extortion" under A.R.S. 13-1804. Theft by extortion is a class 4 felony whatever the amount, and a class 2 felony when the threat is to cause death, serious physical injury, or injury with a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument. Coercing sexual acts or intimate images by threat is a separate felony, sexual extortion, under A.R.S. 13-1428.

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

Jurisdiction scope: This article covers Arizona's criminal statutes on theft by extortion (A.R.S. 13-1804), sexual extortion (13-1428), threats to disclose intimate images (13-1425), and the related offenses of robbery (13-1902), threatening or intimidating (13-1202) and extortionate debt collection (13-2304), with the first-offense felony ranges in 13-702 and 13-704 and the fine ceiling in 13-801. It does not cover what to do if you are being threatened or how to get images taken down (see our sextortion scams guide), the disclosure of intimate images as its own offense (see revenge porn laws by state), federal offenses (covered on our extortion and blackmail laws by state hub), or city and county ordinances.

What is extortion in Arizona?

Arizona treats extortion as a form of theft. Section 13-1804(A) states:

"A person commits theft by extortion by knowingly obtaining or seeking to obtain property or services by means of a threat to do in the future any of the following..."

Three parts of that sentence do most of the work:

• The mental state is "knowingly."
• The goal is "property or services." Arizona's theft chapter defines property as "any thing of value, tangible or intangible, including trade secrets" (13-1801(A)(12)).
• The demand need not succeed. The statute covers "obtaining or seeking to obtain," so a threat made to get property or services falls within the section even if nothing changes hands.

The threat must be a threat "to do in the future" one of nine listed things, set out below.

Is blackmail a separate crime in Arizona?

No. Arizona's criminal code has no offense named blackmail. The criminal code's offenses that carry the word extortion are theft by extortion (13-1804), sexual extortion (13-1428) and the loan-sharking offenses in 13-2302 through 13-2304, including collection of extensions of credit by extortionate means (13-2304), a class 4 felony. Blackmail is the everyday word for conduct such as threatening to reveal a secret unless someone pays, which falls under the threat list in 13-1804.

Arizona extortion penalties

The prison ranges come from the table in A.R.S. 13-702(D), which lists a mitigated, minimum, presumptive, maximum and aggravated term for each felony class:

Section 13-702 governs first-time felony offenders; a person with prior felony convictions is sentenced under a different section (13-703), with different ranges not shown here. An offense charged and proven as a dangerous offense, which A.R.S. 13-105 defines as one "involving the discharge, use or threatening exhibition of a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument or the intentional or knowing infliction of serious physical injury on another person," is sentenced under A.R.S. 13-704 instead: for a first offense, 7 to 21 years (presumptive 10.5 years) for a class 2 felony and 4 to 8 years (presumptive 6 years) for a class 4 felony. Under A.R.S. 13-801(A), a felony fine is "an amount fixed by the court not more than one hundred fifty thousand dollars."

Is extortion a felony in Arizona?

Yes. Section 13-1804(C) reads: "Theft by extortion is a class 4 felony, except that theft by extortion under subsection A, paragraph 1 of this section is a class 2 felony." The section does not grade the offense by the value of what was demanded, so a small demand and a large one carry the same class. For how other kinds of theft are graded, see our Arizona theft laws page.

What kinds of threats count?

Under 13-1804(A), the threat must be to do one of the following in the future:

1. "Cause physical injury to anyone by means of a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument or cause death or serious physical injury to anyone."
2. "Cause physical injury to anyone except as provided in paragraph 1."
3. "Cause damage to property."
4. "Engage in other conduct constituting an offense."
5. "Accuse anyone of a crime or bring criminal charges against anyone."
6. "Expose a secret or an asserted fact in a social media message as defined in section 16-901 or in any other manner, whether true or false, tending to subject anyone to hatred, contempt or ridicule or to impair the person's credit or business unless the threat is based on a plausible claim of right to the property or services obtained or sought to be obtained."
7. "Take or withhold action as a public servant or cause a public servant to take or withhold action."
8. "Cause anyone to part with any property."
9. "Take or withhold action regarding an alleged claim of easement or other right of access to an adjoining property," but only when both conditions in 13-1804(A)(9) are met: the claimant's property interest came from a tax lien purchase or foreclosure under title 42, chapter 18, and the fair market value of the claimant's property is equal to or less than the amount the claimant paid for the tax lien or foreclosure (including later taxes, costs and attorney fees).

Paragraph 6 covers a secret "whether true or false," so the truth of the information does not take a threat outside that paragraph. The list does not name immigration status as a separate kind of threat.

Threats to sue, report someone, or post about them

Section 13-1804 addresses these threats in two places.

First, paragraph 6 (exposing a secret or asserted fact) ends with the words "unless the threat is based on a plausible claim of right to the property or services obtained or sought to be obtained."

Second, section 13-1804(B) sets out a defense that applies only to threats under paragraphs 5, 6 and 7 (accusing someone of a crime, exposing a secret or asserted fact, and official action):

"It is a defense to a prosecution under subsection A, paragraph 5, 6 or 7 of this section if a reasonable person would believe that the property or services were obtained or sought to be obtained by the threat of a reasonable accusation, exposure, lawsuit or other invocation of official action."

The legislature rewrote subsection (B) in 2021 (Laws 2021, ch. 102, HB 2178). The earlier version was an affirmative defense for property "lawfully claimed" either as restitution or indemnification for harm done or as compensation for property lawfully obtained or for lawful services. The defense does not apply to threats of injury or property damage. How either provision applies to a particular demand is a question for a lawyer licensed in Arizona.

Sexual extortion (sextortion) in Arizona

Arizona has a specific sextortion statute. Under A.R.S. 13-1428(A), a person commits sexual extortion "by knowingly communicating a threat with the intent to coerce another person to do any of the following":

1. "Engage in sexual contact or sexual intercourse."
2. "Allow the other person's genitals, anus or female breast to be photographed, filmed, videotaped or digitally recorded."
3. "Exhibit the other person's genitals, anus or female breast."

For this section, 13-1428(C) defines "communicating a threat" as a threat to damage the other person's property, to harm the other person's reputation, or to produce or distribute a photograph, film, videotape or digital recording showing the other person in sexual contact or intercourse or exhibiting the body parts listed above. The statute does not require a demand for money; the coerced sexual conduct or images are the object of the offense.

Grading under 13-1428(B):

• Base offense: a class 3 felony. The person is not eligible for suspension of sentence, probation, pardon or release from confinement on any basis, except as section 31-233(A) or (B) specifically authorizes, until the sentence has been served or commuted.
• Victim 15, 16 or 17: if the person is 18 or older and "knows or should have known" the victim's age, a class 2 felony. The sentence must run consecutively to any other sentence imposed on that person for sexual extortion, and the same bar on probation, suspension, pardon and release applies.
• Victim under 15: a class 2 felony "punishable pursuant to section 13-705." Section 13-705(G) sets 5 to 15 years (presumptive 10 years) for a first such conviction of a person 18 or older or tried as an adult. A conviction for sexual extortion of a victim under 15 also requires sex offender registration under A.R.S. 13-3821(A)(22).

The 15-to-17 tier comes from a 2026 amendment, Laws 2026, ch. 61 (HB 2666), approved by the Governor on April 13, 2026, and in effect since September 12, 2026, the general effective date for that legislative session. The current text of 13-1428 on the Arizona Legislature's site carries that amendment.

A threat alone can also be a separate misdemeanor. Under A.R.S. 13-1425(C)(2), it is a class 1 misdemeanor if a person "threatens to disclose but does not disclose an image that if disclosed would be a violation of this section." Actually disclosing such an image under the conditions in 13-1425(A), which include disclosure "with the intent to harm, harass, intimidate, threaten or coerce the depicted person," is a class 5 felony, or a class 4 felony if the image is disclosed by electronic means, except that a violation involving a "realistic pictorial representation" (a created or modified image) is a class 1 misdemeanor under 13-1425(C)(2).

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

Related Arizona offenses people confuse with extortion

• Robbery, A.R.S. 13-1902. Robbery happens "in the course of taking any property of another from his person or immediate presence and against his will," when the person "threatens or uses force against any person with intent either to coerce surrender of property or to prevent resistance." It is a class 4 felony. The difference from extortion is the immediate taking from the person or their presence.
• Threatening or intimidating, A.R.S. 13-1202. Threatening or intimidating by word or conduct "to cause physical injury to another person or serious damage to the property of another" needs no demand at all. It is a class 1 misdemeanor, and a class 6 felony in the circumstances listed in 13-1202(B), which include retaliation for a victim's reporting of criminal activity and offenses by a criminal street gang member. Threats made to promote or further the interests of a criminal street gang, criminal syndicate or racketeering enterprise, or to get someone to participate in one, are a class 3 felony under 13-1202(A)(3) and (C). Arizona's assault-related offenses are covered on our Arizona assault and battery laws page.
• Collection of extensions of credit by extortionate means, A.R.S. 13-2304. Knowingly participating "in the use of any extortionate means to collect or attempt to collect any extensions of credit" is a class 4 felony. Section 13-2301 defines extortionate means as "the use, or an express or implicit threat of use, of violence or other criminal means to cause harm to the person or the reputation or property of any person." Making an extortionate extension of credit is a class 5 felony (13-2302), and financing one is a class 2 felony (13-2303).
• Fraud and scams. Schemes that obtain money by deception rather than threat are covered on our Arizona scam and fraud laws page.

Recent changes

• 2026: Laws 2026, ch. 61 (HB 2666), approved April 13, 2026 and effective September 12, 2026, amended section 13-1428 to make sexual extortion of a 15-, 16- or 17-year-old by an adult a class 2 felony served consecutively.
• 2021: Laws 2021, ch. 102 (HB 2178) rewrote the defense in 13-1804(B) into its current "reasonable accusation, exposure, lawsuit or other invocation of official action" form.

Federal law

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

Related pages

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

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

Last updated: October 17, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is blackmail illegal in Arizona?

Yes, though Arizona does not use the word. Threatening to expose a secret, accuse someone of a crime or cause harm in order to obtain or seek property or services is theft by extortion under A.R.S. 13-1804, a class 4 felony, or a class 2 felony for threats of death, serious physical injury or injury with a deadly weapon.

Is extortion a felony in Arizona?

Yes. Section 13-1804(C) makes theft by extortion a class 4 felony, or a class 2 felony under paragraph 1, with no value threshold. For a first-time felony offender in a case not sentenced as a dangerous offense, 13-702(D) sets a range of 1 to 3.75 years for class 4 and 3 to 12.5 years for class 2; a dangerous offense is sentenced under the longer ranges in 13-704.

Does the extortion have to succeed to be a crime in Arizona?

No. Section 13-1804(A) covers knowingly obtaining or seeking to obtain property or services by a listed threat.

Is it extortion in Arizona to threaten a lawsuit unless someone pays?

Section 13-1804(A) does not use the word lawsuit in its threat list; it lists threats to accuse someone of a crime, expose a secret or asserted fact, or take or cause official action. Section 13-1804(B) states it is a defense to a prosecution under paragraphs 5, 6 or 7 if a reasonable person would believe the property was sought by the threat of a reasonable accusation, exposure, lawsuit or other invocation of official action. How that applies to a specific demand is a question for an Arizona lawyer.

Is sextortion a crime in Arizona?

Yes. Knowingly communicating a threat to damage property, harm reputation, or distribute a sexual image or recording, with intent to coerce sexual contact or intimate images, is sexual extortion under A.R.S. 13-1428, a class 3 felony with no probation, or a class 2 felony when an adult targets a victim the adult knows or should know is 15 to 17, or the victim is under 15.

Is threatening to post someone's nude photos a crime in Arizona?

Under A.R.S. 13-1425(C)(2), threatening to disclose but not disclosing an image whose disclosure would violate that section is a class 1 misdemeanor. Separately, A.R.S. 13-1428 makes it sexual extortion, a felony, to threaten to distribute a sexual image or recording of a person with intent to coerce sexual contact or intimate images.