Stop Sextortion Act
Sponsored By: Senator Chuck Grassley
Introduced
Summary
Criminalizes threats to share child sexual abuse material and raises penalties for sextortion. It makes threatening to distribute sexual images of minors a punishable offense even when no actual image exists and increases prison terms when offenders use a minor’s explicit conduct to intimidate, coerce, extort, or cause substantial emotional distress.
Show full summary
- Victims and families: Expands protection from "sextortion" by outlawing threats to distribute visual depictions of minors whether the material exists or not.
- Sentencing and defendants: Adds a 10-year maximum prison-term increase when the offense involves the knowing use of a minor’s sexually explicit conduct to intimidate, coerce, extort, or cause substantial emotional distress.
- Prosecutors and courts: Amends 18 U.S.C. 2252, 2252A, 1466A, and 2260A to cover threats, attempts, and conspiracies and to standardize the added penalties.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 0 costs, 2 mixed.
Higher prison terms for sextortion
This bill would add extra prison time when someone uses child sexual images to intimidate, coerce, extort, or cause serious emotional distress. If enacted, qualifying federal offenses under the listed statutes would have up to 10 more years added to the statutory maximum sentence. The change would apply when the defendant knowingly used child pornography or a sexual image of a minor with those harmful intents.
New federal sextortion threat crimes
This bill would make threatening to share visual sexual images or child pornography to intimidate, coerce, extort, or cause serious emotional distress federal crimes. It would let prosecutors punish attempts or conspiracies to make those threats even if no images or videos actually existed. The change would cover threats that cross state lines or involve foreign commerce.
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Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Chuck Grassley
IA • R
Cosponsors
Richard Durbin
IL • D
Sponsored 12/9/2025
Amy Klobuchar
MN • D
Sponsored 12/9/2025
John Cornyn
TX • R
Sponsored 12/9/2025
Marsha Blackburn
TN • R
Sponsored 12/9/2025
Lindsey Graham
SC • R
Sponsored 12/9/2025
Jeanne Shaheen
NH • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Ashley Moody
FL • R
Sponsored 12/18/2025
John Kennedy
LA • R
Sponsored 1/27/2026
Katie Britt
AL • R
Sponsored 2/25/2026
Ruben Gallego
AZ • D
Sponsored 3/9/2026
Ted Cruz
TX • R
Sponsored 2/26/2026
Angus King
ME • I
Sponsored 3/2/2026
Catherine Cortez Masto
NV • D
Sponsored 3/3/2026
Mark Kelly
AZ • D
Sponsored 3/4/2026
Elissa Slotkin
MI • D
Sponsored 4/15/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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