Irvine Extortion Defense Attorneys
WHITE COLLAR CRIME CHARGES
Extortion
Extortion is a white collar crime which is most commonly associated with organized crime, though a person does not have to be part of an organized crime group to commit extortion, also sometimes referred to as a "shakedown." Extortion, which can be both a state and/or federal crime, involves the illegal obtainment of services, property or money from another person, institution or entity through coercion. This coercion may include threats of future violence or physical harm, threats of making criminal accusations, threats of revealing disgracing facts and/or threats of revealing secrets. Blackmail is a common form of extortion.
Extortion Laws in California
The Crime Defined
Under California Penal Code § 518, extortion is committed when property is obtained from another, with his or her consent, or an official act is obtained from a public officer, "by a wrongful use of force or fear, or under color of official right." Fear, according to the code, may be induced by threats:
- To cause unlawful injury to the person or property of the person being threatened or a third person;
- To accuse the threatened person or any of their relatives of any crime;
- To expose a disgrace, deformity or crime of the threatened person; or
- To expose a secret of the threatened person.
The threat, depending on what is being threatened, may not be in violation of any laws. When a person makes a threat to do something unless he or she is given money, property or services is what makes it extortion.
Penalties
In most cases, a person found guilty of extortion in California would be charged with a felony and subject to a maximum imprisonment of four years in county jail or state prison and/or a maximum fine of $10,000. Depending on the circumstances of the extortion, aggravating factors may affect the severity of the sentence.
Unlike most other white collar crimes in California, extortion does not have to have been completed for an offender to be convicted with a full sentence. Attempted extortion still carries the same penalties.
Protecting Your Freedom
An extortion conviction carries severe penalties, but those penalties are not always deserved. Extortion charges are often the result of false allegations and even misunderstandings. Without the help of an experienced defense attorney, you may be wrongfully arrested and unlawfully convicted. The aggressive Santa Ana extortion defense attorneys at The Law Offices of Jeremy N. Goldman have the skills and resources to uncover false accusations and ensure that misleading evidence does not play any part in your case. If you have been accused of extortion in California, call us today at (800) 349-1619 to learn more about getting your charges reduced or dropped entirely.
