Is Blackmail Illegal in Louisiana? Extortion Laws and Penalties

Yes, blackmail is a crime in Louisiana, but it is charged as extortion under La. R.S. 14:66. Louisiana has no offense named blackmail: section 14:66(A) defines extortion as "the communication of threats to another with the intention thereby to obtain anything of value or any acquittance, advantage, or immunity of any description," and section 14:66(B) sets the sentence at imprisonment at hard labor for not less than one nor more than fifteen years.

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

Jurisdiction scope: This article covers Louisiana's extortion statute (La. R.S. 14:66), its 2025 amendment, and related Louisiana statutes on simple robbery (14:65), child sexual abuse materials (14:81.1), AI-generated nude images (14:73.14) and the nonconsensual disclosure of private images (14:283.2). 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 Louisiana?

Louisiana treats extortion as its own crime in section 14:66, with its own sentence that does not change with the amount demanded. Section 14:66(A) opens with the definition:

"Extortion is the communication of threats to another with the intention thereby to obtain anything of value or any acquittance, advantage, or immunity of any description."

Two parts of that sentence do most of the work:

• The act: "the communication of threats to another."
• The purpose: to obtain "anything of value or any acquittance, advantage, or immunity of any description."

Because the purpose clause reaches any "advantage, or immunity of any description," a demand does not have to be for money or property to fall within the definition.

Is blackmail a separate crime in Louisiana?

No. Blackmail is not the name of any Louisiana offense. It is the everyday word for the conduct section 14:66 describes, such as threatening to reveal a secret unless someone pays or does something.

Louisiana extortion penalties

Section 14:66(B) states the extortion sentence in full: "Whoever commits the crime of extortion shall be imprisoned at hard labor for not less than one nor more than fifteen years." The subsection does not set a fine, and it does not distinguish between small and large demands.

Is extortion a felony in Louisiana?

Yes. Section 14:66(B) punishes extortion with imprisonment at hard labor, and R.S. 14:2(A)(4) defines a felony as "any crime for which an offender may be sentenced to death or imprisonment at hard labor." Every extortion conviction under 14:66 carries imprisonment at hard labor for 1 to 15 years, regardless of the value sought. The section has no misdemeanor form and no lower tier for small demands.

What kinds of threats count?

Section 14:66(A) states that "any of the following threats shall be sufficient to constitute extortion":

1. "A threat to do any unlawful injury to the person or property of the individual threatened or of any member of his family or of any other person held dear to him."
2. "A threat to accuse the individual threatened or any member of his family or any other person held dear to him of any crime."
3. "A threat to expose or impute any deformity or disgrace to the individual threatened or to any member of his family or to any other person held dear to him."
4. "A threat to expose any secret affecting the individual threatened or any member of his family or any other person held dear to him."
5. "A threat to cause harm as retribution for participation in any legislative hearing or proceeding, administrative proceeding, or in any other legal action."
6. "A threat intended to compel a pregnant woman to have an abortion as defined in R.S. 14:87.1."
7. "A threat to do any other harm."

Paragraph (7) was added by Act 275 of 2025. With it, the list is no longer limited to the six named kinds of threat.

The first four paragraphs reach threats aimed at the person's relatives and at "any other person held dear to him," not only threats against the person who receives the demand.

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

Section 14:66 answers part of this question in its own text. Paragraph (A)(2) lists "a threat to accuse the individual threatened or any member of his family or any other person held dear to him of any crime." Paragraph (A)(4) lists a threat "to expose any secret," paragraph (A)(3) a threat "to expose or impute any deformity or disgrace," and paragraph (A)(7) "a threat to do any other harm." Each counts only when it is communicated "with the intention thereby to obtain anything of value or any acquittance, advantage, or immunity of any description."

The section contains one written exception, and it applies only to paragraph (A)(2):

"An offer to participate in a theft prevention program pursuant to Code of Criminal Procedure Article 215 shall not constitute a violation of the provisions of this Paragraph."

Section 14:66 contains no other claim-of-right or lawful-demand clause in its text. How the statute applies to a particular demand is a question for a lawyer licensed in Louisiana.

Sextortion laws in Louisiana

None of the Louisiana statutes covered on this page is titled sextortion or sexual extortion. The extortion statute's threat list includes a threat "to expose any secret," a threat "to expose or impute any deformity or disgrace," and "a threat to do any other harm," each when communicated with the intention to obtain anything of value or any acquittance, advantage, or immunity.

When the person targeted is a child, Louisiana's child sexual abuse materials statute, R.S. 14:81.1, also applies. It defines "produce" to include coercing "any child for the purpose of child sexual abuse materials," and its definition of "coerce" expressly includes "Extortion as defined in R.S. 14:66." Production is punishable by imprisonment at hard labor for 10 to 20 years without benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence and a fine of up to $50,000, and by 25 to 99 years at hard labor when the victim is under 13 and the offender is 17 or older (14:81.1(E)(4)(a) and (E)(5)(b)). The computer-aided solicitation of a minor statute, R.S. 14:81.3, also defines "coerce" to include extortion as defined in R.S. 14:66.

Two other Louisiana statutes deal with intimate images:

• AI-generated nude images, section 14:73.14. This section addresses the dissemination or sale of video or still images "created by artificial intelligence" that depict another person "totally nude or in a state of undress," and it applies to a person acting "with the intent to coerce, harass, intimidate, or maliciously disseminate or sell" such an image. Our Louisiana deepfake laws page covers it.
• Nonconsensual disclosure of a private image, section 14:283.2. This is a disclosure offense. It applies when a person "intentionally discloses an image of another person" who is identifiable and whose intimate parts are exposed or who is engaged in sexual conduct, and the section's other listed conditions are met. It has no threat or demand element. See revenge porn laws by state.

If you or someone you know is being threatened with the release of images, our sextortion scams guide covers reporting and image-removal steps.

Related Louisiana offenses people confuse with extortion

• Simple robbery, section 14:65. Robbery is a taking "from the person of another or that is in the immediate control of another by use of force or intimidation." Robbery requires a taking by force or intimidation; extortion under 14:66 is defined by the communication of threats with the intention to obtain something. Simple robbery carries a fine of up to $3,000, imprisonment with or without hard labor for up to 7 years, or both.
• Theft and fraud. Louisiana's theft grading is covered on our Louisiana theft laws page, and fraud and scam offenses on our Louisiana scam and fraud laws page.

Recent changes

Act 275 of the 2025 Regular Session (House Bill 425), effective August 1, 2025, amended section 14:66 in three ways. It changed the introductory paragraph so that it now reads "any of the following threats shall be sufficient to constitute extortion," amended paragraph (6) on threats intended to compel a pregnant woman to have an abortion, and enacted paragraph (7), "a threat to do any other harm." The section's history line also lists earlier amendments by Acts 2011, No. 243 and Acts 2018, No. 61.

Federal law

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

Related pages

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

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

Last updated: October 17, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is blackmail illegal in Louisiana?

Yes. Louisiana charges blackmail-type threats as extortion under La. R.S. 14:66, punishable by imprisonment at hard labor for 1 to 15 years. No Louisiana offense is named blackmail.

Is extortion a felony in Louisiana?

Yes. Section 14:66(B) punishes every extortion conviction with imprisonment at hard labor for 1 to 15 years, whatever the value sought, and R.S. 14:2(A)(4) defines a felony as any crime for which an offender may be sentenced to death or imprisonment at hard labor. The section has no misdemeanor form.

Does the demand have to be for money?

No. Section 14:66(A) covers threats communicated with the intention to obtain anything of value or any acquittance, advantage, or immunity of any description.

What threats count as extortion in Louisiana?

Section 14:66(A) lists threats of unlawful injury to person or property, threats to accuse of a crime, threats to expose or impute a deformity or disgrace, threats to expose a secret, threats of retribution for participating in a legal or legislative proceeding, threats intended to compel a pregnant woman to have an abortion, and a threat to do any other harm, each when made with the intention to obtain something.

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

Section 14:66(A)(2) lists a threat to accuse the person, a family member or any other person held dear to him of any crime, when communicated with the intention to obtain anything of value or any advantage. The only exception in that paragraph is an offer to participate in a theft prevention program under Code of Criminal Procedure Article 215; whether a specific demand fits the statute is a question for a Louisiana lawyer.

Is sextortion a crime in Louisiana?

No Louisiana statute is titled sextortion, but the conduct can be charged. Section 14:66 lists threats to expose a secret, to expose or impute a disgrace, and to do any other harm, when communicated with the intention to obtain anything of value or any advantage, and those carry 1 to 15 years at hard labor. When the target is a child, R.S. 14:81.1 defines coerce to include extortion under 14:66, and producing child sexual abuse materials carries 10 to 20 years at hard labor, or 25 to 99 years when the child is under 13 and the offender is 17 or older.