{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,22]],"date-time":"2026-10-22T03:49:32Z","timestamp":1792640972857,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":82,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"1-2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,3,9]],"date-time":"2020-03-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1583712000000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["J Interpers Violence"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2022,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Sextortion, a portmanteau of \u201csexual\u201d and \u201cextortion,\u201d is the threat to distribute intimate, sexual materials unless a victim complies with certain demands. Cyber sextortion is part of a larger continuum of image-based sexual offending in which images are used for harm. Despite the serious nature of this crime, there exists a dearth of empirical knowledge of sextortion. This article employed a qualitative content analysis of media articles and court documents to explore the crimes of 152 cyber sextortion offenders. Characteristics of offenders, victims, demands, and methodology were identified and synthesized to generate a qualitative understanding of offenders who employed cyber sextortion. The results revealed four different themes of offenders based on crime characteristics: minor-focused cyber sextortion offenders, cybercrime cyber sextortion offenders, intimately violent cyber sextortion offenders, and transnational criminal cyber sextortion offenders. The diverse nature of cyber sextortion has implications for crime control policies. Certain offenders are more likely to be apprehended and prosecuted depending on the crime victim and methodology. In addition, there has been a lack of legislative action targeting cyber sextortion, which limits legal recourse available for victims. We discuss the contribution of this work to the broader literature on cyber sextortion and address some of the challenges that this crime presents to the criminal justice system.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/0886260520909186","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,3,9]],"date-time":"2020-03-09T04:48:36Z","timestamp":1583729316000},"page":"258-283","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":80,"title":["Cyber Sextortion: An Exploratory Analysis of Different Perpetrators Engaging in a Similar Crime"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"37","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1960-7078","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Roberta Liggett","family":"O\u2019Malley","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Michigan State University, East Lansing, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Karen M.","family":"Holt","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Michigan State University, East Lansing, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,3,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"bibr1-0886260520909186","unstructured":"Acar K. V. (2016). Sexual extortion of children in cyberspace. International Journal of Cyber Criminology, 10(2), 973\u20135089. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.5281\/zenodo.163398\/"},{"key":"bibr2-0886260520909186","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1557085116654565"},{"key":"bibr3-0886260520909186","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.17265\/2159-5313\/2016.09.003"},{"key":"bibr4-0886260520909186","unstructured":"Black M., Basile K., Breiding M., Smith S., Walters M., Merrick M. \u2026 Stevens M. (2011). National intimate partner and sexual violence survey: 2010 summary report. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/violenceprevention\/pdf\/nisvs_report2010-a.pdf"},{"key":"bibr5-0886260520909186","first-page":"345","volume":"49","author":"Citron D. K.","year":"2014","journal-title":"Wake Forest Law Review"},{"key":"bibr6-0886260520909186","unstructured":"Clark J. F. (2016). Growing threat: Sextortion. Cyber Misbehavior, 64, 41\u201344. https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao\/resources\/united-states-attorneys-bulletins"},{"key":"bibr7-0886260520909186","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/15564886.2020.1712567"},{"key":"bibr8-0886260520909186","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/13552600601069414"},{"key":"bibr9-0886260520909186","first-page":"95","volume-title":"The intersection between intimate partner abuse, technology, and cybercrime: Examining the virtual enemy","author":"Crisafi D. N.","year":"2016"},{"key":"bibr10-0886260520909186","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.17265\/2159-5313\/2016.09.003"},{"key":"bibr11-0886260520909186","unstructured":"DOJ Press Release. (2015, March 25). Sexual predator receives lengthy prison sentence for extorting girls to send him pornographic images. Department of Justice. https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-ndga\/pr\/sexual-predator-receives-lengthy-prison-sentence-extorting-girls-send-him-pornographic"},{"key":"bibr12-0886260520909186","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1744-6171.2010.00235.x"},{"key":"bibr13-0886260520909186","unstructured":"Eaton A. A., Jacobs H., Ruvalcaba Y. (2017). 2017 nationwide online study of nonconsensual porn victimization and perpetration: A summary report. https:\/\/www.cybercivilrights.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/CCRI-2017-Research-Report.pdf"},{"key":"bibr14-0886260520909186","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1079063218762434"},{"key":"bibr15-0886260520909186","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.17265\/2159-5313\/2016.09.003"},{"key":"bibr16-0886260520909186","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jadohealth.2012.05.013"},{"key":"bibr17-0886260520909186","unstructured":"Goudie C., Markoff B., Tressel C., Weidner R. (2016, September 16). Ex-state Rep. 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Interpol Press Release. https:\/\/www.interpol.int\/en\/News-and-Events\/News\/2014\/INTERPOL-coordinated-operation-strikes-back-at-sextortion-networks"},{"key":"bibr23-0886260520909186","unstructured":"Jacobs H., Franks M. A. (2017). Cyber civil rights initiative. https:\/\/www.cybercivilrights.org\/definitions\/"},{"key":"bibr24-0886260520909186","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/1467-954X.00139"},{"key":"bibr25-0886260520909186","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/978-1-4899-0915-2_3"},{"key":"bibr26-0886260520909186","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tele.2016.04.004"},{"key":"bibr27-0886260520909186","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.5593\/SGEMSOCIAL2015\/B11\/S1.026"},{"key":"bibr28-0886260520909186","unstructured":"Lamphere R. D. 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Kevin Acosta 16 CR 296 (PAC) (S. D. N. Y. 2017)."},{"key":"bibr68-0886260520909186","unstructured":"United States v. Louis Mijangos 15 CR 10-743 (GHK) (C. D. C. A. 2011)."},{"key":"bibr69-0886260520909186","unstructured":"United States v. Matthew Chaney Walker 15 CR 119 (M.D. L. A. 2015)."},{"key":"bibr70-0886260520909186","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.17265\/2159-5313\/2016.09.003"},{"key":"bibr71-0886260520909186","unstructured":"United States v. Nicholas Glenn Wilcox 15 CR 20682 (E. D. M. I. 2017)."},{"key":"bibr72-0886260520909186","unstructured":"United States v. Richard Fye 17 CR 14014 (DMM) (S. D. F. L. 2017)."},{"key":"bibr73-0886260520909186","unstructured":"United States v. Ryan Vallee 15 CR 115 (PB) (D. N. H. 2017)."},{"key":"bibr74-0886260520909186","unstructured":"United States v. Tremain Hutchinson 12 CR 409 (N. D. G. A. 2013)."},{"key":"bibr75-0886260520909186","unstructured":"United States v. Wesley Brandt 11 CR 58-T-17TGW (M.D. F.L. 2012)."},{"key":"bibr76-0886260520909186","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.avb.2017.06.010"},{"key":"bibr77-0886260520909186","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.17265\/2159-5313\/2016.09.003"},{"key":"bibr78-0886260520909186","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.17265\/2159-5313\/2016.09.003"},{"key":"bibr79-0886260520909186","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.17265\/2159-5313\/2016.09.003"},{"key":"bibr80-0886260520909186","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jadohealth.2017.08.014"},{"key":"bibr81-0886260520909186","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1077801216646277"},{"key":"bibr82-0886260520909186","volume-title":"Perverts and predators: The making of sexual offending laws","author":"Zilney L. 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