> with the implied threat of criminal prosecution without the actual threat.
I wonder how much difference this really makes. A stronly implied threat might be just as much a threat as an actal threat.
Law isn't maths, after all.
I wonder how much difference this really makes. A stronly implied threat might be just as much a threat as an actal threat.
Law isn't maths, after all.
Extortion is "Pay me ${X} or I do ${Y}".
"Pay me $10,000 or I release these naughty images of you on the internet." is extortion.
"Pay me $1,000, or I will foreclose on your property" is not, because likely you signed a contract agreeing to such a scenario.
Now "Pay me $500, or I'll file a police report..." is extortion (at least according to here: https://criminal-law.freeadvice.com/criminal-law/violent_cri... )
Even though you may have broken the law, the extortion of money to prevent the police report is still illegal.
"Hello, this is LargeISPCo calling to ask you to pay your latest bill. Oh, in an entirely unrelated matter, we found this picture of your son, and we have a link to a discussion board for NAMBLA."
See, perfectly fine. There's no _actual_ threat here.