Connecticut Extortion Laws: Larceny by Extortion, Coercion, Penalties

Connecticut has no crime named extortion or blackmail. Under Conn. Gen. Stat. 53a-119(5), obtaining property by extortion is a form of larceny, and under 53a-122(a)(1) larceny by extortion is larceny in the first degree, a class B felony carrying 1 to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000, whatever the value of the property. Threats used to force someone to act, rather than to hand over property, fall under a separate coercion statute, 53a-192.

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

Jurisdiction scope: This article covers Connecticut Penal Code sections on larceny by extortion (Conn. Gen. Stat. 53a-119(5) and 53a-122), coercion (53a-192), computer extortion by ransomware (53a-262), unlawful dissemination of an intimate image (53a-189c) or an intimate synthetically created image (53a-189d), enticing a minor (53a-90a), employing a minor in an obscene performance (53a-196a), threatening (53a-61aa and 53a-62), attempt (53a-51) and the general sentencing and fine sections (53a-35a, 53a-36, 53a-36a, 53a-41, 53a-42). It does not cover what to do if you are being threatened or how to get images removed (see our sextortion scams guide), image-sharing crimes in other states (see revenge porn laws by state), federal offenses (covered on our extortion and blackmail laws by state hub), civil lawsuits or local ordinances.

What is extortion in Connecticut?

In Connecticut, extortion is a way of committing larceny. Section 53a-119, as re-enacted by Public Act 26-130 effective October 1, 2026, opens: "A person commits larceny when, with intent to deprive another of property or to appropriate the same to such person or a third person, such person wrongfully takes, obtains or withholds such property from an owner." Subdivision (5) then lists extortion as one form of larceny:

"(5) Extortion. A person obtains property by extortion when an actor compels or induces another person to deliver such property to such actor or a third person by means of instilling in the other person a fear that, if the property is not so delivered, the actor or another will: ..."

The fears that count are listed in the next section. Two features set Connecticut apart from states that grade threat-based theft by value:

• Grade does not depend on value. Under 53a-122(a)(1), larceny is first degree when "the property or service, regardless of its nature and value, is obtained by extortion." The value tiers that apply to other larcenies do not set the grade for extortion. Our Connecticut theft laws page covers those tiers.
• The object is property. Subdivision (5) is about compelling or inducing someone "to deliver such property." Threats used to make someone do or stop doing something are covered by the coercion statute, 53a-192, described below.

Is "blackmail" a crime in Connecticut?

No section of chapter 952, the Penal Code's offenses chapter, uses the word blackmail as an offense name. In everyday speech, blackmail describes conduct Connecticut charges as larceny by extortion (when property is demanded) or coercion (when conduct is demanded).

What kinds of threats count?

Section 53a-119(5) lists the fears that make a demand for property extortion. The actor must instill a fear that, if the property is not delivered, the actor or another will:

• "(A) Cause physical injury to some person in the future;"
• "(B) cause damage to property;"
• "(C) engage in other conduct constituting a crime;"
• "(D) accuse some person of a crime or cause criminal charges to be instituted against such person;"
• "(E) expose a secret or publicize an asserted fact, whether true or false, tending to subject some person to hatred, contempt or ridicule;"
• "(F) cause a strike, boycott or other collective labor group action injurious to some person's business; except that such a threat shall not be deemed extortion when the property is demanded or received for the benefit of the group in whose interest the actor purports to act;"
• "(G) testify or provide information or withhold testimony or information with respect to another's legal claim or defense;"
• "(H) use or abuse the actor's position as a public servant by performing some act within or related to the actor's official duties, or by failing or refusing to perform an official duty, in such manner as to affect some person adversely;" or
• "(I) inflict any other harm which would not benefit the actor."

The coercion statute has a shorter list. Under 53a-192(a), the actor instills a fear that, "if the demand is not complied with, the actor or another will: (1) Commit any criminal offense; or (2) accuse any person of a criminal offense; or (3) expose any secret tending to subject any person to hatred, contempt or ridicule, or to impair any person's credit or business repute; or (4) take or withhold action as an official, or cause an official to take or withhold action."

Connecticut extortion penalties

Connecticut sets prison ranges by class in 53a-35a and 53a-36 and fines in 53a-41 and 53a-42, each applying "unless the section of the general statutes that defines or provides the penalty for the crime specifically provides otherwise." Under 53a-35a, a class B felony (other than manslaughter in the first degree with a firearm) carries "a term not less than one year nor more than twenty years," a class C felony one to 10 years, a class D felony "a term not more than five years," and a class E felony "a term not more than three years." Felony fines are capped at $15,000 for class B, $10,000 for class C, $5,000 for class D and $3,500 for class E (53a-41). A class A misdemeanor carries "a term not to exceed one year" (53a-36(1)), which 53a-36a limits to 364 days, and a fine of up to $2,000 (53a-42(1)).

Is extortion a felony in Connecticut?

Yes. Larceny by extortion is larceny in the first degree, and "Larceny in the first degree is a class B felony" (53a-122(b)). That holds whatever the amount: 53a-122(a)(1) applies "regardless of its nature and value."

Coercion is a misdemeanor unless the threat is to commit a felony. Section 53a-192(c) reads: "Coercion is a class A misdemeanor except, if the threat is to commit a felony, coercion is a class D felony."

Is an attempt punished the same way?

Section 53a-51 provides: "Attempt and conspiracy are crimes of the same grade and degree as the most serious offense which is attempted or is an object of the conspiracy, except that an attempt or conspiracy to commit a class A felony is a class B felony." Because larceny by extortion is a class B felony, an attempt to commit it carries the same class.

Threats to sue, report someone, or expose a secret

The larceny-by-extortion list includes a fear that the actor will "accuse some person of a crime or cause criminal charges to be instituted against such person" (53a-119(5)(D)), will "expose a secret or publicize an asserted fact, whether true or false" tending to subject someone to hatred, contempt or ridicule (53a-119(5)(E)), or will "testify or provide information or withhold testimony or information with respect to another's legal claim or defense" (53a-119(5)(G)). The only exception written into subdivision (5) is the one in (F), for labor action where the property is demanded or received for the benefit of the group the actor purports to represent.

The coercion statute contains an affirmative defense. Section 53a-192(b) states: "It shall be an affirmative defense to prosecution based on subdivision (2), (3) or (4) of subsection (a) of this section that the actor believed the accusation or secret to be true or the proposed official action justified and that his purpose was limited to compelling the other person to behave in a way reasonably related to the circumstances which were the subject of the accusation, exposure or proposed official action, as by desisting from further misbehavior or making good a wrong done." By its words, the defense applies to coercion prosecutions under those three subdivisions; it does not appear in 53a-119.

Whether a particular demand falls within these sections is a question for a lawyer licensed in Connecticut.

Sextortion and intimate images

Connecticut's Penal Code has no offense named sextortion. Two of the general sections name the kind of threat sextortion usually involves:

• Larceny by extortion lists the fear that the actor will "expose a secret or publicize an asserted fact, whether true or false, tending to subject some person to hatred, contempt or ridicule" (53a-119(5)(E)), when used to compel delivery of property.
• Coercion lists the fear that the actor will "expose any secret tending to subject any person to hatred, contempt or ridicule, or to impair any person's credit or business repute" (53a-192(a)(3)), when used to compel or induce conduct.

Sharing the image itself is a separate crime. Under 53a-189c(c), "Unlawful dissemination of an intimate image to (1) a person by any means is a class A misdemeanor, and (2) more than one person by means of an interactive computer service, as defined in 47 USC 230, an information service, as defined in 47 USC 153, or a telecommunications service, as defined in section 16-247a, is a class D felony." That section has no demand element. A separate section, 53a-189d, added in 2025, covers disseminating an intimate synthetically created image without consent, intending viewers to be deceived into believing it is real, when the person depicted suffers harm; it ranges from a class D misdemeanor to a class D felony depending on the audience and whether the image was made with intent to harm.

When the person targeted is a minor, other Penal Code sections apply. Using an interactive computer service to knowingly persuade, induce, entice or coerce a person under 18 (or a person the actor reasonably believes is under 18) to engage in sexual activity for which the actor may be charged with a criminal offense is enticing a minor under 53a-90a, a class D felony for a first offense and a class B felony if the victim is under 13. Employing a minor for the purpose of promoting material or a performance that is obscene as to minors is a class A felony under 53a-196a, and 10 years of the sentence may not be suspended or reduced.

If you or someone you know is being threatened with the release of images, our sextortion scams guide covers reporting and removal steps. For AI-generated and altered images, see Connecticut deepfake laws, and for image-sharing crimes nationwide, revenge porn laws by state.

Ransomware

Connecticut also has a ransomware-specific extortion offense. Under 53a-262(a), a person "is guilty of computer extortion by use of ransomware, when such person (1) introduces ransomware into any computer, computer system or computer network, and (2) demands payment of money or other consideration to remove the ransomware." Section 53a-262(b) makes it a class E felony, which carries up to 3 years in prison (53a-35a(9)) and a fine of up to $3,500 (53a-41(5)).

Related offenses people confuse with extortion

• Threatening in the second degree, 53a-62. No demand is required. Under 53a-62(a), a person commits the offense when "(1) By physical threat, such person intentionally places or attempts to place another person in fear of imminent serious physical injury, (2) (A) such person threatens to commit any crime of violence with the intent to terrorize another person, or (B) such person threatens to commit such crime of violence in reckless disregard of the risk of causing such terror." It is a class A misdemeanor, or a class D felony when the person threatened is at a preschool, school, institution of higher education or day care center in the circumstances listed in 53a-62(a)(3).
• Threatening in the first degree, 53a-61aa. A class D felony, or a class C felony in listed circumstances, it covers threats to commit a crime involving a hazardous substance or to cause an evacuation, and threatening in the second degree while using, displaying or claiming to possess a firearm.
• Coercion, 53a-192. Covered above: the demand is for conduct rather than property.

Our Connecticut assault and battery laws page covers the bodily-harm offenses.

Recent changes

• October 1, 2026: Public Act 26-130, section 2 (approved June 4, 2026) repealed and re-enacted 53a-119, rewording it in gender-neutral terms and adding larceny subdivisions for fostering the sale of stolen property and gift card crime; apart from the wording, the extortion threat list in subdivision (5) is unchanged. Public Act 26-119 (approved June 4, 2026) added a larceny subdivision for digital defrauding: creating and disseminating a visual representation or audio recording that the person knows or should have known is a digitally forged likeness, with intent to cause financial injury to another person. Public Act 26-77, sections 30 and 31 (approved May 26, 2026), re-enacted threatening in the first and second degree (53a-61aa and 53a-62) on the same date.

Federal law

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

Related pages

• Extortion and blackmail laws by state
• Connecticut theft laws
• Connecticut deepfake laws
• Connecticut assault and battery laws
• Sextortion scams: what to do
• Massachusetts extortion laws
• Rhode Island extortion laws

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

Last updated: October 17, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is blackmail illegal in Connecticut?

Connecticut has no offense named blackmail, but obtaining property by instilling fear of one of the threats listed in Conn. Gen. Stat. 53a-119(5), including accusing someone of a crime or exposing a secret, is larceny by extortion. Under 53a-122(a)(1) that is larceny in the first degree, a class B felony, regardless of the value of the property or service.

Is extortion a felony in Connecticut?

Yes. Larceny by extortion is larceny in the first degree, a class B felony, regardless of the property's nature and value (53a-122). A class B felony carries 1 to 20 years in prison (53a-35a(6)) and a fine of up to $15,000 (53a-41(2)).

Is a failed extortion attempt a crime in Connecticut?

Under 53a-51, attempt is a crime of the same grade and degree as the most serious offense attempted, except that an attempt to commit a class A felony is a class B felony. An attempt to commit larceny by extortion is therefore graded as a class B felony.

What is the difference between extortion and coercion in Connecticut?

Extortion under 53a-119(5) is a form of larceny: the threat is used to make someone deliver property. Coercion under 53a-192 is used to make someone engage in, or abstain from, conduct they have a legal right to choose; it is a class A misdemeanor, or a class D felony if the threat is to commit a felony.

Is it extortion to threaten to report someone to the police unless they pay?

The threat list in 53a-119(5) includes a fear that the actor will accuse some person of a crime or cause criminal charges to be instituted against that person, when used to compel delivery of property. The written affirmative defense in 53a-192(b) applies to coercion prosecutions under 53a-192(a)(2), (3) or (4), not to larceny under 53a-119(5).

Is sextortion a crime in Connecticut?

Connecticut's Penal Code has no offense named sextortion. Using fear of exposing a secret or publicizing an asserted fact to get property is listed in the larceny-by-extortion definition (53a-119(5)(E)), and using fear of exposing a secret to compel conduct is listed in coercion (53a-192(a)(3)); disseminating an intimate image is a separate crime under 53a-189c, and disseminating an intimate synthetically created image is covered by 53a-189d. When the target is a minor, enticing a minor by interactive computer service (53a-90a) and employing a minor in an obscene performance (53a-196a) are felonies.