Capitol Hill Takes Aim At Sextortion With New Bill

Capitol Hill's New Offensive Against Sextortion

In a bold move to tackle the troubling rise of teenage sextortion, two Florida lawmakers, Sen. Ashley Moody and Rep. Laurel Lee, have introduced decisive legislation in Congress. The proposed bill, known as the Combating Online Predators Act, is designed to target and penalize the coercive practice where victims are blackmailed into sharing intimate content.

Sextortion, a form of cyber exploitation, sees perpetrators threatening to distribute sensitive images unless their demands for additional explicit content or money are met. This criminal act has been increasingly affecting teenagers, particularly boys aged 14 to 17, with nearly 55,000 cases reported in 2024, marking a 59% increase from the previous year according to the FBI.

Legislation with a Purpose

Senator Moody and Rep. Lee, both former prosecutors with experience in internet crimes against children, are determined to bring clarity and justice to these cases. Moody notes the current legal system's shortcomings, which force prosecutors to cobble together charges from various statutes to address sextortion. "We don’t have a statute that allows federal law enforcement officers to go after, specifically the intentional extortion of children using these images," she explained.

“This legislation ensures that federal prosecutors and law enforcement have a clear mandate to pursue and prosecute these crimes, getting perpetrators locked away,” said Rep. Lee.

Unanimous Support and Next Steps

The bill has already passed the House with unanimous support and is now making its way through the Senate. With its passage, the legislation promises to provide law enforcement and prosecutors with the necessary tools to effectively combat and dismantle these crimes, ensuring that justice is served and victims are protected.

Both lawmakers hope this bill will be a significant step forward in safeguarding the digital lives of young people across the nation, and urge the Senate to act swiftly. "Early in my career, I was a federal prosecutor in the Middle District of Florida and worked extensively on cases involving the online exploitation of children," Rep. Lee reflects, emphasizing the bill's importance and potential impact.