Is Blackmail Illegal in North Carolina? Extortion Laws and Penalties

Yes. Blackmail is a crime in North Carolina, and the main statute calls it extortion. Under G.S. 14-118.4, any person who "threatens or communicates a threat or threats to another with the intention thereby wrongfully to obtain anything of value or any acquittance, advantage, or immunity is guilty of extortion" and is punished as a Class F felon. North Carolina also keeps an older statute actually titled Blackmailing (G.S. 14-118, a Class 1 misdemeanor), a computer-threat extortion felony (G.S. 14-457) and, since December 1, 2024, a sexual extortion statute (G.S. 14-202.7).

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

Jurisdiction scope: This article covers North Carolina's criminal statutes on extortion (G.S. 14-118.4), blackmailing (14-118), computer-threat extortion (14-457), sexual extortion (14-202.7) and communicating threats (14-277.1), with the felony and misdemeanor sentencing charts in G.S. 15A-1340.17 and 15A-1340.23. It does not cover what to do if you are being threatened or how to get images removed (see our sextortion scams guide), North Carolina's separate crime of disclosing private images (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 North Carolina?

North Carolina treats extortion as its own crime, separate from larceny. The whole offense is one sentence in G.S. 14-118.4:

"Any person who threatens or communicates a threat or threats to another with the intention thereby wrongfully to obtain anything of value or any acquittance, advantage, or immunity is guilty of extortion and such person shall be punished as a Class F felon."

Three features of that text shape every case. First, the section does not list any particular kind of threat; it says only "a threat or threats." Second, the target of the demand is broad: "anything of value or any acquittance, advantage, or immunity," so the statute's words are not limited to money or property. Third, the person must intend to obtain that thing "wrongfully," a word the section does not define.

The section sets no dollar threshold. Unlike states that grade extortion as theft by the value taken, North Carolina makes every violation of 14-118.4 a Class F felony.

Is blackmail a separate crime in North Carolina?

Yes, in name. G.S. 14-118 is titled Blackmailing, and it is older and narrower than the extortion statute. It reads:

"If any person shall knowingly send or deliver any letter or writing demanding of any other person, with menaces and without any reasonable or probable cause, any chattel, money or valuable security; or if any person shall accuse, or threaten to accuse, or shall knowingly send or deliver any letter or writing accusing or threatening to accuse any other person of any crime punishable by law with death or by imprisonment in the State's prison, with the intent to extort or gain from such person any chattel, money or valuable security, every such offender shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor."

The statute has two branches. The first covers a letter or writing that demands a chattel, money or valuable security "with menaces and without any reasonable or probable cause." The second covers accusing, or threatening to accuse, someone of a crime punishable by death or by imprisonment in the State's prison, with the intent to extort a chattel, money or valuable security. A violation of either branch is a Class 1 misdemeanor, while the broader extortion statute, 14-118.4, is a Class F felony.

North Carolina extortion penalties

North Carolina offense statutes name a class rather than a term of years. Under G.S. 15A-1340.17(a), "The offense classification is as specified in the offense for which the sentence is being imposed," and the felony punishment chart in that section then sets the range by class and prior record level. The figures in the table are the chart's presumptive ranges for the minimum term, in months; the court's range depends on the person's prior record level, and the chart also has ranges outside the presumptive column.

Each minimum term also carries a maximum term, set by G.S. 15A-1340.17(d) for Class F and Class H felonies and by 15A-1340.17(e) for Class E felonies. For a Class F felony, a 13-month minimum carries a 25-month maximum and a 33-month minimum carries a 49-month maximum. If the court finds under G.S. 15A-1340.16 that an aggravated sentence is justified, the Class F minimum can reach 41 months at level VI, with a 59-month maximum. Under 15A-1340.17(b), a judgment that includes imprisonment may also include a fine, and unless otherwise provided the amount is in the discretion of the court.

For misdemeanors, the chart in G.S. 15A-1340.23 sets the term by class and prior conviction level. For a Class 1 misdemeanor it allows 1 to 45 days at levels I and II and 1 to 120 days at level III, and the same section states that "The amount of the fine for a Class 1 misdemeanor and a Class A1 misdemeanor is in the discretion of the court."

What kinds of threats count?

Under the main extortion statute, any threat can qualify. G.S. 14-118.4 does not contain a list of threat types; the elements are a threat communicated to another and the intention to wrongfully obtain something of value or an "acquittance, advantage, or immunity." None of 14-118.4, 14-118 or 14-202.7 mentions threats about immigration status.

The narrower statutes each name a specific threat:

• Blackmailing (14-118): demands made "with menaces," or an accusation or threat to accuse someone of a crime punishable by death or State's prison.
• Computer threats (14-457): a malicious threat, "verbally or by a written or printed communication," to commit an act described in G.S. 14-455. Section 14-455(a) makes it unlawful "to willfully and without authorization alter, damage, or destroy a computer, computer program, computer system, computer network, or any part thereof." Section 14-455(a1) separately covers a government computer.
• Sexual extortion (14-202.7): a threat to disclose a private image, or to decline to delete, remove, or retract a private image already disclosed.

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

The statutes answer this only through their text. Section 14-118.4 does not single out threats to sue, to report a crime or to post a review; it reaches "a threat or threats" made "with the intention thereby wrongfully to obtain" something, and it does not define wrongfully.

Threats to report a crime have their own statute. G.S. 14-118 makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor to accuse or threaten to accuse another person "of any crime punishable by law with death or by imprisonment in the State's prison, with the intent to extort or gain from such person any chattel, money or valuable security." The letter-demand branch of the same section applies only to demands made "without any reasonable or probable cause."

Is sextortion a crime in North Carolina?

Yes. North Carolina's statute is titled sexual extortion, G.S. 14-202.7, and it applies to offenses committed on or after December 1, 2024. Section 14-202.7(b) provides that a person commits the offense if the person:

"intentionally threatens to disclose a private image, or to decline to delete, remove, or retract a previously disclosed private image, of the victim or of an immediate family member of the victim in order to compel or attempt to compel the victim or an immediate family member of the victim to do any act or refrain from doing any act against the victim's will, with the intent to obtain additional private images or anything else of value or any acquittance, advantage, or immunity."

A "private image" is "An image depicting sexual activity or sexually explicit nudity." The statute's definition of image reaches AI-generated content: it includes "a realistic visual depiction created, adapted, or modified by technological means, including algorithms or artificial intelligence, such that a reasonable person would believe the image depicts an identifiable individual."

The grade depends on the ages of the people involved:

• Adult offender: Class F felony (14-202.7(b)(1)).
• Minor offender, first offense: Class 1 misdemeanor (14-202.7(b)(2)).
• Minor offender, second or later offense: Class F felony (14-202.7(b)(3)).
• Aggravated sexual extortion: a Class E felony under 14-202.7(c) when "the victim is a minor or an individual with a disability and the person is an adult at the time of the offense."

For someone being threatened right now, our sextortion scams guide explains reporting and image-removal options. North Carolina's crime of disclosing private images is covered on revenge porn laws by state, and the state's rules on AI-generated sexual images are covered on North Carolina deepfake laws.

Related offenses people confuse with extortion

Communicating threats (G.S. 14-277.1). A threat with no demand attached can still be a crime. Under 14-277.1(a), a person is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor if, without lawful authority, the person willfully threatens to physically injure the person or that person's child, sibling, spouse, or dependent, or willfully threatens to damage the property of another; the threat is communicated orally, in writing, or by any other means; the threat "is made in a manner and under circumstances which would cause a reasonable person to believe that the threat is likely to be carried out"; and "The person threatened believes that the threat will be carried out." All four conditions are elements.

Fraud and scams. Schemes that obtain money by deception rather than by a threat are covered on our page on North Carolina scam and fraud laws.

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

Recent changes

Session Law 2024-37 (House Bill 591) created North Carolina's sexual extortion offenses. Its title describes it as "AN ACT TO ESTABLISH SEXUAL EXTORTION OFFENSES, TO UPDATE OFFENSES RELATED TO SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF A MINOR, TO UPDATE SEX OFFENDER AND PUBLIC PROTECTION REGISTRATION PROGRAMS, AND TO CLARIFY THE OFFENSE OF DISCLOSURE OF PRIVATE IMAGES." Section 5 states that the act "becomes effective December 1, 2024, and applies to offenses committed on or after that date."

The general extortion statute, 14-118.4, and the Blackmailing statute, 14-118, were last amended in 1994 according to their history notes.

Related North Carolina pages

• Extortion and blackmail laws by state
• North Carolina deepfake laws
• North Carolina scam and fraud laws
• North Carolina statute of limitations
• Sextortion scams: what to do if you are targeted

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

Last updated: October 17, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is blackmail illegal in North Carolina?

Yes. Threatening someone with the intention to wrongfully obtain anything of value or any acquittance, advantage, or immunity is extortion, a Class F felony under G.S. 14-118.4. A separate statute titled Blackmailing, G.S. 14-118, makes certain demand letters and threats to accuse someone of a serious crime a Class 1 misdemeanor.

Is extortion a felony in North Carolina?

Yes. Extortion under G.S. 14-118.4 is always a Class F felony, whatever the amount demanded. The older Blackmailing statute, G.S. 14-118, is a Class 1 misdemeanor, and a first sexual extortion offense committed by a minor is also a Class 1 misdemeanor.

How much prison time is extortion in North Carolina?

Class F felony sentences come from the chart in G.S. 15A-1340.17. The presumptive range for the minimum term runs from 13-16 months for a person at prior record level I to 26-33 months at level VI. Each minimum term carries a longer maximum term (a 33-month minimum carries a 49-month maximum), and with an aggravated sentence the minimum can reach 41 months, with a 59-month maximum. The court may also impose a fine in its discretion.

Is sextortion a crime in North Carolina?

Yes. North Carolina calls it sexual extortion. Under G.S. 14-202.7, in force for offenses on or after December 1, 2024, intentionally threatening to disclose a private image of the victim or an immediate family member to compel an act against the victim's will, with intent to obtain more private images or anything else of value, is a Class F felony for an adult offender and a Class E felony when an adult targets a minor or an individual with a disability.

Does North Carolina's sexual extortion law cover AI-generated or fake images?

The definition of image in G.S. 14-202.7(a)(3) includes a realistic visual depiction created, adapted, or modified by technological means, including algorithms or artificial intelligence, such that a reasonable person would believe it depicts an identifiable individual. A private image is one depicting sexual activity or sexually explicit nudity.

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

G.S. 14-118 (Blackmailing) covers accusing or threatening to accuse another of any crime punishable by death or by imprisonment in the State's prison, with the intent to extort any chattel, money or valuable security. Section 14-118.4 has no threat list; it reaches any threat made with the intention to wrongfully obtain anything of value, and it does not define wrongfully.

What is the penalty for communicating threats in North Carolina?

Communicating threats under G.S. 14-277.1 is a Class 1 misdemeanor. It covers a willful threat to physically injure a person or certain family members, or to damage property, communicated in a way that would cause a reasonable person to believe it is likely to be carried out and that the person threatened believes will be carried out.