Is Blackmail Illegal in Ohio? Extortion and Sextortion Laws (2026)

Blackmail is a crime in Ohio, but the Revised Code calls it extortion. Under R.C. 2905.11(B), threatening a felony, an offense of violence, calumny, or exposure of a damaging matter with purpose to obtain any valuable thing or valuable benefit, or to induce someone to do an unlawful act, is extortion, a felony of the third degree regardless of the amount demanded. Since April 9, 2025, the same section also makes threatening to release someone's private images a separate felony, sexual extortion (2905.11(D)-(E)), and two lesser routes sit nearby: coercion (2905.12) and theft by threat or intimidation (2913.02).

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

Jurisdiction scope: This article covers Ohio's extortion and sexual extortion offenses (R.C. 2905.11 and 2905.111), coercion (2905.12), theft by threat or intimidation (2913.02(A)(4)-(5)) and the sentencing limits in R.C. 2929.14, 2929.18, 2929.24 and 2929.28. It does not cover what to do if you are being threatened or how to get images taken down (see our sextortion scams guide), Ohio's separate crimes for sharing intimate 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 Ohio?

Ohio treats extortion as its own crime in Chapter 2905, separate from theft. Section 2905.11(B) reads:

"No person, with purpose to obtain any valuable thing or valuable benefit or to induce another to do an unlawful act, shall do any of the following: (1) Threaten to commit any felony; (2) Threaten to commit any offense of violence; (3) Violate section 2903.21 or 2903.22 of the Revised Code; (4) Utter or threaten any calumny against any person; (5) Expose or threaten to expose any matter tending to subject any person to hatred, contempt, or ridicule, or to damage any person's personal or business repute, or to impair any person's credit."

Division (C) then states: "Whoever violates division (B) of this section is guilty of extortion, a felony of the third degree."

Two features stand out. First, the purpose element is broader than money: it covers "any valuable thing or valuable benefit," and also a purpose "to induce another to do an unlawful act." Second, the grade does not depend on value. Unlike theft, extortion under 2905.11 is a third-degree felony whether the demand is for a few dollars or a large sum.

For this section and 2905.111, R.C. 2905.11(A)(6) defines a threat broadly: "Threat includes a direct threat and a threat by innuendo."

Is blackmail a separate crime in Ohio?

No. Ohio's offense is named extortion, and the statute uses that word along with "sexual extortion." Blackmail is the everyday word for conduct Ohio charges under 2905.11, most often under division (B)(5), which covers exposing or threatening to expose a matter that would bring a person "hatred, contempt, or ridicule" or damage their "personal or business repute" or credit.

Ohio extortion penalties

Prison terms come from R.C. 2929.14. For a third-degree felony not listed in 2929.14(A)(3)(a), the term is "a definite term of nine, twelve, eighteen, twenty-four, thirty, or thirty-six months" under (A)(3)(b); extortion and sexual extortion are not on the (A)(3)(a) list. For second- and first-degree felonies committed on or after March 22, 2019, the court imposes "an indefinite prison term" with a stated minimum of two to eight years (second degree) or three to eleven years (first degree) and "a maximum term that is determined pursuant to section 2929.144." Fine ceilings come from R.C. 2929.18(A)(3): $20,000 for a first-degree felony, $15,000 for the second degree, $10,000 for the third degree and $5,000 for the fourth degree.

For misdemeanors, R.C. 2929.24(A) sets jail of "not more than one hundred eighty days" for the first degree and "not more than ninety days" for the second degree, and R.C. 2929.28(A)(2)(a) caps fines at $1,000 and $750 respectively. These are statutory maximums; the sentencing statutes set the range, not the outcome in any case.

Theft by threat or intimidation

Ohio's theft statute names threats too. R.C. 2913.02(A) prohibits obtaining or exerting control over property or services, with purpose to deprive the owner, "(4) By threat; (5) By intimidation." That route is graded by value under 2913.02(B)(2): theft is a fifth-degree felony from $1,000 to under $7,500, grand theft is a fourth-degree felony from $7,500 to under $150,000, and aggravated theft is a third-degree felony from $150,000 to under $750,000, with other tiers in the same division. Our Ohio theft laws page covers the full value ladder.

What kinds of threats count?

The five branches of 2905.11(B) are the complete list for extortion:

1. Threatening to commit any felony.
2. Threatening to commit any offense of violence.
3. Violating section 2903.21 (aggravated menacing) or 2903.22 (menacing).
4. Uttering or threatening "any calumny against any person." The Revised Code sections covered here do not define calumny.
5. Exposing or threatening to expose "any matter tending to subject any person to hatred, contempt, or ridicule, or to damage any person's personal or business repute, or to impair any person's credit."

Branches (4) and (5) refer to "any person," so their words are not limited to the person from whom the thing of value is sought. Because a threat "includes a direct threat and a threat by innuendo," an implied threat can qualify.

Coercion under 2905.12(A) uses a related but different list. With "purpose to coerce another into taking or refraining from action concerning which the other person has a legal freedom of choice," it prohibits threatening "to commit any offense," uttering or threatening calumny, exposing or threatening to expose a damaging matter, instituting or threatening "criminal proceedings against any person," and taking, withholding or threatening official action, or causing or threatening to cause official action to be taken or withheld.

Is it extortion to threaten to report someone or expose them unless they pay?

Section 2905.11(B) does not list a threat to report a crime or to bring criminal proceedings. It does list exposing or threatening to expose a matter that tends to bring a person hatred, contempt or ridicule or damage their repute or credit, so a demand for payment backed by that kind of threat falls within the extortion statute's words.

Threatening criminal proceedings appears only in the coercion statute, 2905.12(A)(4). Coercion is also the only one of these offenses with a written affirmative defense. Section 2905.12(C) states:

"It is an affirmative defense to a charge under division (A)(3), (4), or (5) of this section that the actor's conduct was a reasonable response to the circumstances that occasioned it, and that the actor's purpose was limited to any of the following: (1) Compelling another to refrain from misconduct or to desist from further misconduct; (2) Preventing or redressing a wrong or injustice; (3) Preventing another from taking action for which the actor reasonably believed the other person to be disqualified; (4) Compelling another to take action that the actor reasonably believed the other person to be under a duty to take."

That defense is written for coercion charges under divisions (A)(3), (4) and (5) only. Separately, 2905.12(B) states that divisions (A)(4) and (5) shall not be construed to prohibit a prosecutor or court, acting in good faith and in the interests of justice, from granting immunity, offering or making plea agreements, or imposing community control conditions such as restitution. Section 2905.11 contains no comparable defense for extortion or sexual extortion. Whether any statute fits a particular demand turns on facts, and is a question for a lawyer licensed in Ohio.

Sextortion laws in Ohio (Braden's Law)

Ohio added a specific sexual extortion offense through House Bill 531 of the 135th General Assembly, known as Braden's Law, effective April 9, 2025. It sits in divisions (D) and (E) of R.C. 2905.11.

What it prohibits. Under 2905.11(D), "No person, with purpose to do any of the following, shall threaten to release, exhibit, or distribute the private images of another: (1) Compel or attempt to compel the other person, against the other person's will, to perform any act or refrain from performing any act; (2) Induce the other person to commit an offense; (3) Obtain additional private images from the other person; (4) Obtain anything of value from the other person."

What counts as private images. Section 2905.11(A)(5) defines "private images" as "images of sexual activity, masturbation, sexual excitement, nudity, bestiality, extreme or bizarre violence, cruelty, or brutality, or human bodily functions of elimination." The definition is broader than sexual images alone.

Grading under 2905.11(E).

• Sexual extortion is a felony of the third degree, except as provided in (E)(2) and (E)(3).
• It is a felony of the second degree if the offender previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to a violation of division (D), or "if the offense involves sexual extortion of a person under the age of eighteen, an elderly person, or a disabled adult," except as provided in (E)(3).
• It is a felony of the first degree if the offender has two or more prior convictions or guilty pleas under division (D), or if the offender has a prior conviction or guilty plea for an offense involving sexual extortion of a person under 18, an elderly person or a disabled adult "and the offender knows or has reason to know that the person is under the age of eighteen, an elderly person, or a disabled adult."

Charging both offenses. Under 2905.11(F), a prosecution for sexual extortion "does not preclude a prosecution" for extortion under division (B). If a person is convicted of both based on "the same conduct involving the same victim," the two are "allied offenses of similar import under section 2941.25."

Protection for people who were extorted. R.C. 2905.111 states that "no person shall be convicted of an offense, and no child shall be adjudicated a delinquent child, for disseminating private images of that person or child to another person as a direct and proximate result of a violation of division (D) of section 2905.11 of the Revised Code in which the person or child was a victim."

If you or someone you know is being threatened with the release of images, our sextortion scams guide covers reporting and removal steps. For Ohio's rules on AI-generated and fabricated images, see Ohio deepfake laws; for laws on sharing intimate images nationwide, see revenge porn laws by state.

Related Ohio offenses people confuse with extortion

• Coercion, R.C. 2905.12. The no-property counterpart to extortion, covered above: a second-degree misdemeanor that targets threats aimed at controlling a choice the other person is legally free to make.
• Aggravated menacing, R.C. 2903.21. This needs no demand. "No person shall knowingly cause another to believe that the offender will cause serious physical harm to the person or property of the other person, the other person's unborn, or a member of the other person's immediate family." Except as otherwise provided in the section, it is a misdemeanor of the first degree. Violating it with an extortionate purpose is one of the listed branches of extortion under 2905.11(B)(3). Our Ohio assault and battery laws page covers Ohio's physical-harm offenses.
• Theft by threat or intimidation, R.C. 2913.02(A)(4)-(5). Covered above; graded by the value of the property or services obtained.

Scams that use threats to get money can also overlap with fraud offenses; see Ohio scam and fraud laws.

Recent changes

Braden's Law, House Bill 531 of the 135th General Assembly, was signed by the Governor and took effect April 9, 2025. Its title describes it as an act "to amend sections 2137.15, 2905.11, 2929.12, and 2933.51 and to enact sections 2905.111 and 2933.523 of the Revised Code to enact Braden's Law to prohibit sexual extortion and to require service providers to comply with search warrants and interception warrants for electronic information." The same act amended R.C. 2929.12(B), the factors a court must consider as making any felony more serious than conduct normally constituting the offense, to add that the victim suffered serious physical harm the victim caused to the victim's self as a result of the offense, and that the victim died by suicide as a result of the offense. Before that act, the version of 2905.11 in force dated to July 1, 1996, and the coercion statute, 2905.12, has been in its current form since January 1, 2004.

The theft statute, 2913.02, has a version effective October 6, 2026 under House Bill 210 of the 136th General Assembly, an act on catalytic converters; the value tiers quoted above are the same in the April 9, 2025 version.

Civil remedy

Ohio's extortion statutes do not create their own lawsuit, but R.C. 2307.60(A)(1) states that "anyone injured in person or property by a criminal act has, and may recover full damages in, a civil action unless specifically excepted by law." Under that division, costs and attorney's fees are recoverable only if authorized by the Rules of Civil Procedure, another section of the Revised Code or Ohio common law, and punitive damages only if authorized by R.C. 2315.21 or another section of the Revised Code.

Federal law

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

Related pages

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

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

Last updated: October 17, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is blackmail illegal in Ohio?

Ohio has no crime named blackmail. Threatening a felony, an offense of violence, calumny, or exposure of a damaging matter with purpose to obtain any valuable thing or benefit, or to induce an unlawful act, is extortion under R.C. 2905.11(B), a felony of the third degree.

Is extortion a felony in Ohio?

Yes. Extortion under 2905.11(C) is a felony of the third degree regardless of the amount demanded, with a definite term of 9 to 36 months under 2929.14(A)(3)(b) and a fine of up to $10,000. Coercion under 2905.12 is a lesser offense, a second-degree misdemeanor.

Is sextortion a crime in Ohio?

Yes. Since April 9, 2025, threatening to release, exhibit or distribute another person's private images to compel an act, induce an offense, get more images or obtain anything of value is sexual extortion under 2905.11(D). It is a third-degree felony, rising to the second or first degree in the circumstances listed in 2905.11(E).

Does the threat have to be stated directly?

No. For extortion and sexual extortion, R.C. 2905.11(A)(6) states that a threat includes a direct threat and a threat by innuendo.

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

The extortion list in 2905.11(B) does not name a threat to report a crime or bring criminal proceedings. Coercion under 2905.12(A)(4) does name instituting or threatening criminal proceedings, and 2905.12(C) provides an affirmative defense for that branch when the conduct was a reasonable response and the purpose was limited to the aims the section lists. Other threats in 2905.11, such as exposing a damaging matter, can still apply.

Can a sextortion victim be charged for sending their own images?

R.C. 2905.111 states that no person shall be convicted, and no child adjudicated delinquent, for disseminating their own private images to another person as a direct and proximate result of a sexual extortion in which they were the victim.