‘Call a spade a spade:' Kentucky sextortion bill clears committee
Sen. Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville, is sponsoring a bill to increase criminal penalties for sexual exploitation. (Photo by LRC Public Information)
This story discusses sexual extortion. Report sexual extortion to the FBI at 1-800-335-5324. The Human Trafficking help hotline is 1-888-373-7888. Chat live: humantraffickinghotline.org
FRANKFORT — A Kentucky bill aimed at toughening penalties for sexual extortion passed unanimously out of a Senate committee Thursday.
Senate Bill 73 would make sexual extortion — or sextortion — a felony. The bill can head to the Senate floor for a full chamber vote now.
After discussion in the Senate Judiciary Committee, a provision in the bill that requires schools to educate children about what sextortion is may be updated via amendment to clarify any educational materials be age appropriate.
The bill, which would also make it easier to collect legal damages from a perpetrator, addresses instances when someone obtains a sexually explicit photo and threatens to release it if the victim doesn't meet their demands, which could be monetary, sexual or other kinds of blackmail.
Kentucky urged to increase criminal penalties, education to protect kids from 'sextortion'
SB 73 sponsor Sen. Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville, held her cell phone up to committee members during her presentation.
'This bill is important because kids have these in their hands at an extraordinarily young age,' she said. 'They are all potential victims.'
Sara Collins, a Louisville attorney who litigated a high-profile sextortion case in Jefferson County, said Kentucky law just 'doesn't address what this is.'
'We cannot adequately treat this problem; we cannot maximize our power and protect the citizens of the commonwealth until we call a spade a spade and address what this is,' she told the committee. 'It is a sex crime, and we must call it what it is, treat it appropriately in order to hold predators accountable and in order to protect and help victims.'
Children are often targets of sextortion, advocates said when discussing the bill in a Wednesday news conference. But, they stressed,anyone can become a victim.
'While sextortion is a tremendous issue with teens and young adults, I think it's important to remember, especially with (artificial intelligence) generated images, that every person is vulnerable,' Collins told the committee Thursday. 'As long as you have something to lose, you become vulnerable.'
Lady Tee Thompson, a national human trafficking expert, said predators know and exploit the fact that very few sexual extortion cases lead to convictions.
'This isn't just about legislation or partisanship or policy, it's about humanity,' Thompson said. 'Our children are not collateral damage. They are not bargaining chips in the future, and we are failing them against digital exploitations and online harms.'
Advocates, the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations offer these tips for staying safe online:
Close or cover the camera lens on cell phones, computers and other devices, especially when undressing or changing clothes. Assume cameras can be activated remotely. Do not undress with a camera lens pointed at you.
Be careful what you share online.
Report suspicious behavior.
Block suspicious accounts.
Don't accept a friend request from anyone online that you don't know in real life.
Don't give any personal contact info to anyone you don't know in real life.
If someone you don't know asks for personally identifying information, do not comply.
Do not share your passwords with anyone.
Don't use passwords that may be easy to guess.
Don't click on links in emails when they come from people you don't know.
For parents: teach kids to report threats. Discuss online safety with them and encourage them to disclose when they receive suspicious communication.
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'Importation of Fusarium graminearum without a USDA PPQ526 permit should not have occurred,' he said. 'However, unless the imported strain was a new strain having enhanced transmissibility or virulence, its importation likely posed no threat to US agriculture or US security,' he added, noting that if Jian had gone through proper permitting procedure to obtain the pathogen, it 'almost certainly would have been approved and arrests would not have occurred.' Jian, who received a J1 visa to conduct research as a postdoctoral scholar at a University of Texas lab, was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan before being offered a job in August 2023. The University of Michigan did not respond to The Post's questions about whether she is still employed there following the allegations. The Post also reached out to Jian at her university email address but did not hear back. 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