Is Blackmail Illegal in Minnesota? Coercion and Extortion Laws

Yes. Blackmail is a crime in Minnesota, charged as coercion. Under Minn. Stat. 609.27, making one of six listed threats, orally or in writing, that causes another person against their will to do any act or to refrain from doing a lawful act is coercion, punishable by up to 90 days, 5 years or 10 years depending on the money gained or lost. Minnesota's theft statute has no clause for obtaining property by threat, and a separate felony, sexual extortion (609.3458), covers sexual contact compelled by threats.

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

Jurisdiction scope: This article covers Minnesota's criminal statutes on coercion (Minn. Stat. 609.27), attempt to coerce (609.275), sexual extortion (609.3458) and related offenses, with the 2026 amendment in 2026 Minn. Laws ch. 76. It does not cover what to do if you are being threatened or how to get images removed (see our sextortion scams guide), the crime of sharing 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 Minnesota?

Minnesota does not use extortion as the name of its general threat-for-gain crime, and it does not treat such threats as a form of theft. The offense is coercion. Minn. Stat. 609.27 subd. 1 begins:

"Whoever orally or in writing makes any of the following threats and thereby causes another against the other's will to do any act or forbear doing a lawful act is guilty of coercion and may be sentenced as provided in subdivision 2"

The offense has three parts:

• A threat, made orally or in writing.
• One of the six threats the statute lists (set out below).
• A result: the threat causes the other person, against their will, to do any act or to forbear doing a lawful act. Handing over money is an act, so a demand for payment that succeeds fits the statute's words; so does a demand for something other than money.

No Minnesota criminal offense is named blackmail. It is the everyday word for conduct Minnesota charges as coercion or, where sexual contact is compelled, as sexual extortion.

Minnesota's theft statute, 609.52, lists many ways to commit theft, including taking property without consent and obtaining property "by swindling, whether by artifice, trick, device, or any other means," but none of the clauses in subdivision 2(a) describes obtaining property by threat. For Minnesota's value-based theft grades, see Minnesota theft laws.

What kinds of threats count?

Subdivision 1 lists six threats:

1. "a threat to unlawfully inflict bodily harm upon, or hold in confinement, the person threatened or another, when robbery or attempt to rob is not committed thereby"
2. "a threat to unlawfully inflict damage to the property of the person threatened or another"
3. "a threat to unlawfully injure a trade, business, profession, or calling"
4. "a threat to expose a secret or deformity, publish a defamatory statement, or otherwise to expose any person to disgrace or ridicule" (held facially overbroad in State v. Jorgenson, discussed below)
5. "a threat to make or cause to be made a criminal charge, whether true or false"
6. "a threat to commit a violation under section 617.261," which is Minnesota's crime of nonconsensual dissemination of private sexual images

Clause (5) carries the statute's only written exception: "a warning of the consequences of a future violation of law given in good faith by a peace officer or prosecuting attorney to any person shall not be deemed a threat for the purposes of this section."

Clause (4) and State v. Jorgenson

In State v. Jorgenson, 946 N.W.2d 596 (Minn. 2020), the Minnesota Supreme Court reviewed clause (4), the threat "to expose a secret or deformity, publish a defamatory statement, or otherwise to expose any person to disgrace or ridicule." The court wrote:

"The district court and the court of appeals held that subdivision 1(4) was unconstitutionally overbroad and could not be saved through a narrowing construction or by severing part of it. We agree and therefore affirm."

The court concluded that "subdivision 1(4) must be invalidated as violating the First Amendment."

The Revisor of Statutes' note on 609.27 records the holding that clause (4) violates the First Amendment to the United States Constitution as facially overbroad. The legislature has not amended subdivision 1 since 2016, so the clause's words still appear in the printed statute even though the state's highest court has held it facially overbroad and invalidated it.

Is it coercion to threaten to sue, report someone, or post a bad review unless they pay?

The statute answers this only through its list:

• Reporting to police. Clause (5) names a threat "to make or cause to be made a criminal charge, whether true or false." The only exception in the section is the good-faith warning by a peace officer or prosecuting attorney quoted above.
• A lawsuit. A threat to file a civil lawsuit is not among the six listed threats.
• A bad review or public embarrassment. The clause that speaks to exposing a person to disgrace or publishing a defamatory statement is clause (4), which Jorgenson held facially overbroad. Clause (3), a threat "to unlawfully injure a trade, business, profession, or calling," remains in the list.

Section 609.27 contains no claim-of-right exception in its text.

Minnesota coercion and extortion penalties

The coercion tiers come from 609.27 subd. 2, which measures "the pecuniary gain received by the violator" and "the loss suffered by the person threatened or another as a result of the threat." The lowest tier also applies when "the benefits received or harm sustained are not susceptible of pecuniary measurement." The class labels follow Minn. Stat. 609.02, under which a felony is "a crime for which a sentence of imprisonment for one year or more may be imposed" and a misdemeanor is "a crime for which a sentence of not more than 90 days or a fine of not more than $1,000, or both, may be imposed." These are statutory maximums.

Is extortion a felony in Minnesota?

Not always. Coercion is a misdemeanor when neither the gain nor the loss exceeds $300, or when neither can be measured in money. It carries a felony range once the gain or loss is more than $300. Sexual extortion is a felony in every case under 609.3458 subd. 2.

When the threat does not work

Section 609.275 provides that whoever makes a threat within the meaning of 609.27 subd. 1, clauses (1) to (6), "but fails to cause the intended act or forbearance, commits an attempt to coerce and may be punished as provided in section 609.17." Under 609.17 subd. 4, the sentence is "not more than one-half of the maximum imprisonment or fine or both provided for the crime attempted, but such maximum in any case shall not be less than imprisonment for 90 days or a fine of $100."

Is sextortion a crime in Minnesota?

Yes, through two statutes.

Coercion with an image threat. Clause (6) of 609.27 subd. 1 lists "a threat to commit a violation under section 617.261," Minnesota's crime of intentionally disseminating an image of another person depicted in a sexual act or with intimate parts exposed, under the conditions that section lists. A threat of that kind that causes someone to pay money, send more images or do any other act is coercion, graded by the tiers above. For crimes committed on or after August 1, 2026, 2026 Minn. Laws ch. 76 added two enhanced penalties for a clause (6) violation:

"(b) A person who violates subdivision 1, clause (6), may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than ten years, or to payment of a fine of not more than $20,000, or both, if the violation is a substantial factor in the victim suffering great bodily harm. (c) A person who violates subdivision 1, clause (6), may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than 15 years, or to payment of a fine of not more than $30,000, or both, if the violation is a substantial factor in the victim suffering death."

Sexual extortion. Minn. Stat. 609.3458 applies to "a person who engages in sexual contact with another person and compels the other person to submit to the contact by making any of the following threats, directly or indirectly." The listed threats include threats to withhold or harm the complainant's trade, business, profession, position, employment, or calling; to make a criminal charge against the complainant, whether true or false; "to report the complainant's immigration status to immigration or law enforcement authorities"; to disseminate private sexual images of the complainant as specified in 617.261; "to expose information that the actor knows the complainant wishes to keep confidential"; and to withhold the complainant's housing. Sexual contact carries up to 10 years and $20,000, sexual penetration up to 15 years and $30,000, and a person convicted "is also subject to conditional release under section 609.3455." Subdivision 3 states that, notwithstanding the general attempt statute, "no person may be charged with or convicted of an attempt to commit a violation of this section."

The penalty provisions of 609.27 subd. 2 and 609.3458 subd. 2 grade by the gain or loss, the harm that results, and contact versus penetration; neither sets a different grade based on the victim's age.

When the person threatened is a minor, a separate felony may apply. Minn. Stat. 617.246 subd. 2(a) makes it unlawful "to promote, employ, use or permit a minor to engage in or assist others to engage minors in posing or modeling alone or with others in any sexual performance or child sexual abuse material" if the person knows or has reason to know the conduct intended is a sexual performance or child sexual abuse material. A minor is anyone under 18 (subd. 1(b)). The penalty is up to 10 years, a fine of up to $20,000, or both, rising to up to 15 years and $40,000 if the minor is under 14, the person has a prior conviction or delinquency adjudication under 617.246 or 617.247, or the person is a registered predatory offender (subd. 2(b)).

For someone being threatened right now, our sextortion scams guide explains reporting and image-removal options. The crime of actually sharing intimate images is covered on revenge porn laws by state, and Minnesota's rules on AI-generated sexual images on Minnesota deepfake laws.

Related offenses people confuse with extortion

Nonconsensual dissemination of private sexual images (617.261). This is the crime clause (6) of coercion refers to. A violation is a gross misdemeanor, except that a person "may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than three years or to payment of a fine of $5,000, or both," if one of the factors the statute lists is present, including that "the person depicted in the image suffers financial loss due to the dissemination of the image" or that "the actor disseminates the image with intent to profit from the dissemination."

Threats of violence (609.713). This offense needs no demand. Whoever "threatens, directly or indirectly, to commit any crime of violence with purpose to terrorize another," or to cause the evacuation of a building or other serious public inconvenience, "or in a reckless disregard of the risk of causing such terror or inconvenience may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than five years or to payment of a fine of not more than $10,000, or both."

Robbery. Clause (1) of the coercion statute applies to a threat of bodily harm or confinement only "when robbery or attempt to rob is not committed thereby."

Fraud and scams. Schemes that obtain money by deception rather than threats are covered on Minnesota scam and fraud laws.

Federal law also reaches threats and extortion that cross state lines; see the extortion laws by state hub.

Recent changes

• 2026 Minn. Laws ch. 76 (H.F. 2358). Signed by the governor May 7, 2026, it added paragraphs (b) and (c) to 609.27 subd. 2, the enhanced penalties for coercion by threatening the 617.261 image crime where the violation is a substantial factor in great bodily harm or death. It is effective August 1, 2026, and applies to crimes committed on or after that date. The existing coercion tiers carried over unchanged.
• 2021. The sexual extortion statute, 609.3458, was enacted in the 2021 First Special Session (2021 1Sp c 11 art 4 s 22).
• 2020. State v. Jorgenson held clause (4) of 609.27 subd. 1 facially overbroad.

Related Minnesota pages

• Extortion and blackmail laws by state
• Minnesota theft laws
• Minnesota deepfake laws
• Minnesota scam and fraud laws
• Sextortion scams: what to do if you are targeted

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

Last updated: October 17, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is blackmail illegal in Minnesota?

Yes, under the name coercion. Minn. Stat. 609.27 makes it a crime to make a listed threat, such as a threat to make a criminal charge or to share private sexual images, that causes another person against their will to do any act, including paying money.

Is extortion a felony in Minnesota?

It depends on the amount. Coercion is a misdemeanor (up to 90 days or $1,000) when neither the gain nor the loss exceeds $300 or neither can be measured in money, and carries up to 5 or 10 years when the gain or loss is higher (609.27 subd. 2). Sexual extortion under 609.3458 is always a felony.

Is it a crime in Minnesota to threaten to expose someone's secret unless they pay?

That threat is clause (4) of 609.27 subd. 1, which the Minnesota Supreme Court held facially overbroad and invalidated under the First Amendment in State v. Jorgenson (2020). Other clauses remain, including a threat to make a criminal charge, true or false, and a threat to commit the private sexual image crime in 617.261.

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

Clause (5) of 609.27 subd. 1 lists a threat to make or cause to be made a criminal charge, whether true or false. The only exception in the section's text is a good-faith warning by a peace officer or prosecuting attorney about the consequences of a future violation of law.

Is sextortion a crime in Minnesota?

Yes. Threatening to commit the private sexual image crime in 617.261 is a coercion threat under 609.27 subd. 1(6), with up to 10 or 15 years since August 1, 2026 where the violation is a substantial factor in great bodily harm or death. Compelling sexual contact or penetration through such a threat is sexual extortion under 609.3458, a felony of up to 10 or 15 years. Where the person is a minor, promoting, employing, using or permitting the minor to pose or model in sexual material is a separate felony under 617.246 subd. 2.

What if the threat does not work?

Under 609.275, a listed threat that fails to cause the intended act or forbearance is attempt to coerce, punishable under 609.17 by up to one-half of the maximum imprisonment or fine for the completed crime, but not less than 90 days or $100. Sexual extortion cannot be charged as an attempt (609.3458 subd. 3).