Mississippi Extortion and Blackmail Laws: Penalties (2026)

Yes, blackmail is a crime in Mississippi, charged as extortion under Miss. Code Ann. 97-3-82. Blackmail is not the name of a Mississippi offense; extortion under 97-3-82 is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 6 months in county jail when the property is worth under $500, and a felony punishable by up to 15 years when it is worth $500 or more or when the goal is an intangible reward, favor or advantage. Since July 1, 2024, a separate sexual extortion offense created by House Bill 1196 (2024 Laws, chapter 443) covers threats to release a private image.

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

Jurisdiction scope: This article covers Mississippi's extortion statute (Miss. Code Ann. 97-3-82), the threatening-letter statute (97-3-81), and the sexual extortion offenses created by 2024 Laws chapter 443 (House Bill 1196). 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 Mississippi?

Mississippi treats extortion as its own crime in section 97-3-82, with its own penalty scale. Subsection (2) defines it:

"A person is guilty of extortion if he purposely obtains or attempts to obtain property of another or any reward, favor, or advantage of any kind by threatening to inflict bodily injury on any person or by committing or threatening to commit any other criminal offense, violation of civil statute, or the public or private revelation of information not previously in the public domain for the purpose of humiliating or embarrassing the other person, without regard to whether the revelation otherwise constitutes a violation of a specific statute."

The definition has three working parts:

• The mental state: the person must act "purposely."
• The goal: to obtain, or attempt to obtain, "property of another or any reward, favor, or advantage of any kind." The words "or attempts to obtain" put a failed demand inside the same definition.
• The means: one of the listed threats or acts, described below.

Subsection (1) gives definitions that apply "for the purposes of this section," including these two: "Obtain" includes, in relation to labor or service or "any reward, favor, or advantage of any kind," securing performance of it. "Property" means "anything of value," and the list that follows includes "reputation of a person." Subsection (1) also defines "property of another" and "public official," which means any person elected or appointed to an office, position or employment paid a fee or salary by the State of Mississippi, any political subdivision, or any agency or subdivision of the federal government.

Is blackmail a separate crime in Mississippi?

No. Blackmail is not the name of a Mississippi offense. It is the everyday word for the conduct section 97-3-82 describes, such as threatening to reveal embarrassing private information unless someone pays.

Mississippi extortion penalties

Section 97-3-82 sets each penalty in its own subsection (3), so the amount and the kind of advantage sought decide which tier applies.

Is extortion a felony in Mississippi?

Not always. Under 97-3-82(3)(a), extortion of property or things of value worth under $500 is a misdemeanor with up to 6 months in county jail. It is a felony with up to 15 years when the value is $500 or more (3)(b), or when the goal is "any intangible reward, favor or advantage to which no monetary value is normally given" (3)(c). Paragraph (d) makes extortion by a public official acting in an official capacity or under color of office a felony with 2 to 20 years, whether the goal is an intangible advantage or tangible property of any value.

What kinds of threats count?

Section 97-3-82(2) reaches obtaining or attempting to obtain property or an advantage:

• "by threatening to inflict bodily injury on any person," or
• "by committing or threatening to commit any other criminal offense, violation of civil statute, or the public or private revelation of information not previously in the public domain for the purpose of humiliating or embarrassing the other person."

The statute adds that the revelation counts "without regard to whether the revelation otherwise constitutes a violation of a specific statute." So the revelation itself does not have to break another statute for this part of 97-3-82 to apply, as long as the information was not previously in the public domain and the purpose is humiliating or embarrassing the other person.

The bodily-injury threat covers injury to "any person," not only the person who receives the demand.

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

Section 97-3-82 answers this only through its own wording. Its list covers threats to commit "any other criminal offense," a "violation of civil statute," or the revelation of information "not previously in the public domain for the purpose of humiliating or embarrassing the other person," each when used purposely to obtain or attempt to obtain property or any reward, favor, or advantage. Subsection (2) does not name a threat to file a lawsuit or to report someone to the police.

The older threatening-letter statute, 97-3-81, does name a threat "to accuse any person of a crime," when it is made in a letter or writing "with a view or intent to extort or gain money or property of any description belonging to another." How either statute applies to a particular demand is a question for a lawyer licensed in Mississippi.

Sextortion laws in Mississippi

Yes, Mississippi has a specific sexual extortion crime. House Bill 1196, titled "Sextortion; create crime of," was approved by the Governor on April 25, 2024, and became law as chapter 443 of the 2024 Laws, effective July 1, 2024. Section 3 of the act provides:

"A person commits the offense of sexual extortion if the person intentionally threatens, including through the use of electronic mail or electronic communication, to release, exhibit or distribute a private image of another 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, with the intent to obtain an additional private image or anything else of value."

A person convicted of sexual extortion faces up to 5 years for a first offense, up to 10 years for a second offense, and up to 15 years for a third or subsequent offense.

Section 4 creates aggravated sexual extortion, with up to 15 years, when the same threat is made and either the victim is a minor or vulnerable person and the person convicted is an adult, or the victim suffers great bodily injury or death and the court finds beyond a reasonable doubt that the sexual extortion was the proximate cause.

Other parts of the act:

• Definitions (Section 2). "Minor" means any person under 18 at the time of the alleged offense. "Private image" means "an image depicting sexually explicit nudity, sexual activity, sexual conduct as defined in Section 97-29-64, sexually explicit conduct as defined in Section 97-5-31, or sexual intercourse as defined in Section 97-3-65."
• Juveniles (Section 5). The youth court may order behavioral health counseling as a condition of sentencing for any juvenile adjudicated under the act.
• Venue (Section 6). A violation may be prosecuted in the county where the communication originated, was made or was received, or where any act in furtherance of the scheme occurred.

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 Mississippi's rules on AI-generated sexual images, see Mississippi deepfake laws, and for image-sharing crimes nationally, revenge porn laws by state.

Related Mississippi offenses people confuse with extortion

• Threatening letters, section 97-3-81. This statute applies to a person who knowingly sends or delivers "any letter or writing" threatening "to accuse any person of a crime or to do any injury to the person or property of any one, with a view or intent to extort or gain money or property of any description belonging to another." It is punished as "an attempt to rob," with imprisonment in the penitentiary for up to 5 years.
• Theft and fraud. Mississippi's theft grading is covered on our Mississippi theft laws page, and fraud and scam offenses on our Mississippi scam and fraud laws page.

Recent changes

The 2024 Legislature created sexual extortion and aggravated sexual extortion through House Bill 1196 (2024 Laws chapter 443), approved by the Governor on April 25, 2024, and effective July 1, 2024.

Federal law

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

Related pages

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

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

Last updated: October 17, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is blackmail illegal in Mississippi?

Yes. Mississippi charges blackmail-type threats as extortion under Miss. Code Ann. 97-3-82. No Mississippi offense is named blackmail.

Is extortion a felony in Mississippi?

It depends on what is sought. Under 97-3-82(3), extortion of property worth under $500 is a misdemeanor with up to 6 months in county jail, while $500 or more, or an intangible reward, favor or advantage, is a felony with up to 15 years; a public official acting under color of office faces 2 to 20 years.

Is attempted extortion a crime in Mississippi?

Section 97-3-82(2) covers a person who purposely obtains or attempts to obtain property of another or any reward, favor, or advantage of any kind by the listed threats, so the attempt falls within the same definition.

Is threatening to reveal embarrassing information extortion in Mississippi?

Section 97-3-82(2) lists the public or private revelation of information not previously in the public domain for the purpose of humiliating or embarrassing the other person, when used purposely to obtain property or any reward, favor, or advantage, without regard to whether the revelation otherwise violates a specific statute.

Is sextortion a crime in Mississippi?

Yes. HB 1196 (2024 Laws ch. 443), effective July 1, 2024, created sexual extortion: threatening to release, exhibit or distribute a private image to compel an act, with intent to obtain another private image or anything else of value. It carries up to 5, 10 or 15 years by offense number, and up to 15 years for aggravated sexual extortion in the circumstances the act lists, such as an adult offender and a minor or vulnerable victim.