Vermont Extortion and Blackmail Laws: Penalties and Sextortion (2026)

Extortion is a stand-alone crime in Vermont. Under 13 V.S.A. 1701, maliciously threatening to accuse someone of a crime or offense, or to injure the person or property, with intent to extort money or other pecuniary advantage or to compel an act against the person's will, is a felony punishable by up to 3 years, a fine of up to $500, or both; since July 1, 2026, threats to disclose nude or sexual images are also a separate crime of sexual extortion under 13 V.S.A. 2607.

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

Jurisdiction scope: This article covers Vermont criminal statutes on extortion and threats (13 V.S.A. chapter 39, sections 1701 and 1702), sexual extortion (13 V.S.A. 2607), disclosure of sexually explicit images without consent (13 V.S.A. 2606), the felony definition in 13 V.S.A. 1 and the definition of blackmail in 13 V.S.A. 2651. It does not cover what to do if you are being threatened or how to get images removed (see our sextortion scams guide), image-sharing laws in other states (see revenge porn laws by state), federal offenses (covered on our extortion and blackmail laws by state hub) or municipal ordinances.

What is extortion in Vermont?

Vermont keeps extortion as its own crime rather than folding it into theft. Chapter 39 of Title 13, "Extortion and Threats," now contains two sections: extortion (1701) and criminal threatening (1702). The extortion section reads in full:

"A person who maliciously threatens to accuse another of a crime or offense, or with an injury to his or her person or property, with intent to extort money or other pecuniary advantage, or with intent to compel the person so threatened to do an act against his or her will, shall be imprisoned not more than three years or fined not more than $500.00, or both."

The offense has three parts:

• A malicious threat. The statute requires that the threat be made "maliciously."
• One of two kinds of threat. A threat "to accuse another of a crime or offense," or a threat of "an injury to his or her person or property."
• One of two purposes. An intent "to extort money or other pecuniary advantage," or an intent "to compel the person so threatened to do an act against his or her will."

The text of 1701 does not include an element that money or property actually change hands, and it does not set value tiers. The theft sections in chapter 57 of Title 13, such as grand larceny under 13 V.S.A. 2501 (property over $900, up to 10 years), do not refer to extortion or threats. Our Vermont theft laws page covers those offenses.

Is "blackmail" a crime in Vermont?

No Vermont offense is titled blackmail. The word appears in 13 V.S.A. 2651, a definitions section that applies "As used in this subchapter," meaning the human-trafficking subchapter. There, "Blackmail" means "the extortion of money, labor, commercial sexual activity, or anything of value from a person through use of a threat to expose a secret or publicize an asserted fact, whether true or false, that would tend to subject the person to hatred, contempt, ridicule, or prosecution," and blackmail is listed as one form of "coercion." That definition governs the trafficking subchapter, not section 1701.

What kinds of threats count?

Section 1701 names two kinds of threat: to accuse another person of a crime or offense, and an injury to the person or property. Its text does not separately list threats to expose a secret, harm a reputation or report immigration status. A threat to expose conduct that is a crime or offense can still be a threat to accuse, as the Harrington decision described below shows.

The sexual extortion statute, 13 V.S.A. 2607, has a longer list, described below. It applies when the threat is to disclose a nude or sexual image, or when the goal is to obtain sexual images or sexual conduct.

Vermont extortion penalties

Vermont sets the penalty inside each offense section. The felony label comes from 13 V.S.A. 1: "Any other provision of law notwithstanding, any offense whose maximum term of imprisonment is more than two years, for life, or which may be punished by death is a felony. Any other offense is a misdemeanor."

Is extortion a felony in Vermont?

Yes. The maximum term under 1701 is three years, which is more than two years, so extortion is a felony under 13 V.S.A. 1. The fine under 1701, though, is capped at $500. Every tier of sexual extortion under 2607 is also a felony.

Threats to sue, report someone, or expose a secret

Section 1701 lists a threat to accuse another of a crime or offense. Such a threat falls within the section when it is made maliciously and with intent to extort money or other pecuniary advantage, or to compel the person to do an act against his or her will. The section contains no separate exception for a demand of money owed and no defenses section; its only limiting words are the malice and intent requirements. It does not mention lawsuits, and it does not separately list threats to expose a secret or damage a reputation.

In State v. Harrington, 128 Vt. 242 (1969), the Vermont Supreme Court affirmed a conviction under section 1701 for threatening to accuse a man of the crime of adultery. Quoting an earlier decision, the Court said that "a threat of any public accusation is as much within the reason of the statute as a threat of a formal complaint," and it held: "A demand for settlement of a civil action, accompanied by a malicious threat to expose the wrongdoer's criminal conduct, if made with intent to extort payment, against his will, constitutes the crime alleged in the indictment."

Whether a particular demand meets those elements is a question for a lawyer licensed in Vermont.

Sexual extortion (sextortion) in Vermont

Act 89 (2025, No. 89 (Adj. Sess.), H.626) created 13 V.S.A. 2607, "Sexual extortion," effective July 1, 2026. It reaches two kinds of threats.

Threats to disclose an image. Under 2607(b), "No person shall knowingly threaten to disclose a visual image of an identifiable person who is nude or who is engaged in sexual conduct, without the person's consent, with the intent to compel a person to":

1. "produce nude images or images of sexual conduct;"
2. "engage in sexual conduct;"
3. "engage in any act against the person's will;"
4. "refrain from engaging in any act in which the person has a legal right to engage; or"
5. "provide money or anything of value."

Other threats used to obtain images or sexual conduct. Under 2607(c), "With the intent to compel a person to produce nude visual images or visual images of sexual conduct or to engage in sexual conduct, no person shall knowingly threaten to":

1. "accuse a person of a crime or cause criminal charges to be instituted against a person;"
2. "cause injury to a person or property;"
3. "expose or publicize an asserted fact, whether true or false, intending to subject another person to hatred, contempt, or ridicule; or"
4. "report a person's immigration status or suspected immigration status."

The penalties in 2607(d) depend on the victim's age and the harm: up to 3 years or $3,000, or both, if the victim is 18 or older; up to 10 years or $10,000, or both, if the victim is under 18; and up to 15 years or $15,000, or both, "If serious bodily injury or death results."

Separately, 13 V.S.A. 2822 makes it a crime to use, cause or induce a child, defined in 2821 as a person under 16, to engage in a sexual performance, which includes an event that is photographed, filmed or visually recorded. Under 2825, it carries up to 10 years, a fine of up to $20,000, or both, and 1 to 15 years or a fine of up to $50,000, or both, after an earlier conviction under those sections.

Protection for victims who report. Under 2607(e), a person who, "in good faith and in a timely manner, reports to law enforcement that the person is a victim of a violation of this section shall not be cited, arrested, or prosecuted" for disseminating indecent material to a minor (sections 2802 and 2802a) or for a minor electronically disseminating indecent material (section 2802b). Section 2607(f) limits this: the immunity applies "only to the use and derivative use of evidence gained as a proximate result of the person reporting" and does "not preclude prosecution of the person on the basis of evidence obtained from an independent source."

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

Related offenses people confuse with extortion

• Criminal threatening, 13 V.S.A. 1702. A person "shall not by words or conduct knowingly: (1) threaten another person or a group of particular persons; and (2) as a result of the threat, place the other person in reasonable apprehension of death, serious bodily injury, or sexual assault." No demand is required. The base penalty is up to 1 year, a fine of up to $1,000, or both; subsections (c) through (g) raise it to up to 2 years or $2,000, or both, for listed aggravated forms, such as threats concerning a school, polling place or government building, or made to intimidate a public servant or a health care worker.
• Disclosure of sexually explicit images without consent, 13 V.S.A. 2606. This offense is about disclosing an image, not threatening to; its elements and penalties are in the table above.

Our Vermont assault and battery laws page covers the bodily-harm offenses.

Civil remedy for image disclosure

Section 2606(e)(1) gives a person a private cause of action against "a defendant who knowingly discloses, without the plaintiff's consent, an identifiable visual image of the plaintiff while the plaintiff is nude or engaged in sexual conduct and the disclosure causes the plaintiff harm." This right concerns disclosure of an image, not a threat to disclose one.

Recent changes

• July 1, 2026: Act 89 (H.626), signed April 28, 2026, took effect. It added the sexual extortion crime in 13 V.S.A. 2607, amended 13 V.S.A. 2606 and the voyeurism statute (2605), and amended 13 V.S.A. 4501 to list disclosure under 2606 and sexual extortion under 2607 among the offenses that may be prosecuted within 40 years after the offense.
• June 6, 2024: 13 V.S.A. 2606 was amended by 2023, No. 161 (Adj. Sess.).
• June 5, 2023: 13 V.S.A. 1703, a section of chapter 39 added in 2018, was repealed by 2023, No. 46.
• Section 1701 was last amended in 1981.

Federal law

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

Related pages

• Extortion and blackmail laws by state
• Vermont theft laws
• Vermont deepfake laws
• Vermont assault and battery laws
• Sextortion scams: what to do
• New Hampshire extortion laws
• New York extortion laws

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

Last updated: October 17, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is blackmail illegal in Vermont?

Vermont's extortion statute, 13 V.S.A. 1701, makes it a felony to maliciously threaten to accuse another of a crime or offense, or to threaten an injury to the person or property, with intent to extort money or other pecuniary advantage or to compel an act against the person's will. Threatening to disclose a nude or sexual image to obtain money, images, sexual conduct or another act is sexual extortion under 13 V.S.A. 2607.

Is extortion a felony in Vermont?

Yes. Extortion under 13 V.S.A. 1701 carries up to 3 years, a fine of up to $500, or both, and under 13 V.S.A. 1 any offense with a maximum term of more than two years is a felony.

What is the penalty for sextortion in Vermont?

Sexual extortion under 13 V.S.A. 2607, in effect since July 1, 2026, carries up to 3 years or $3,000 (or both) for an adult victim, up to 10 years or $10,000 for a victim under 18, and up to 15 years or $15,000 if serious bodily injury or death results.

Is threatening to report someone to the police extortion in Vermont?

Section 1701 lists a malicious threat to accuse another of a crime or offense when it is made with intent to extort money or other pecuniary advantage or to compel the person to do an act against his or her will. The section contains no separate exception for demands of money owed.

Can a sextortion victim in Vermont be charged for sending images?

Under 13 V.S.A. 2607(e), a person who in good faith and in a timely manner reports to law enforcement that he or she is a victim of sexual extortion is not cited, arrested or prosecuted under 13 V.S.A. 2802, 2802a or 2802b. Under 2607(f), that immunity covers only evidence gained as a proximate result of the report and does not bar prosecution based on evidence from an independent source.