logo
Kentucky urged to increase criminal penalties, education to protect kids from ‘sextortion'

Kentucky urged to increase criminal penalties, education to protect kids from ‘sextortion'

Yahoo05-02-2025

From October 2021 to March 2023, there were at least 13,000 national cases of sexual extortion, according to Kentucky Youth Advocates data. (Getty Images)
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 — Kentucky's laws haven't caught up to the digital age and rampant sexual extortion targeting children, advocates said Wednesday.
That's why they're pushing for swift passage of Senate Bill 73, which makes sextual extortion — or sextortion — a felony. The bill would also make it easier to collect legal damages from a perpetrator and require schools to educate children about what sextortion is.
Sexual extortion is when a perpetrator 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.
SB 73 sponsor Sen. Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville, called the practice 'calculated' and 'cruel.'
'Being a kid today is very different than when we grew up,' Raque Adams said during a news conference at the Capitol Annex. 'Social media and technology have changed the way young people connect, but it's also opened the door to new dangers that we never had to face before.'
The current punishment for sextortion can be a 'patchwork' of legal charges, said Jaime Thompson, the program coordinator of People Against Trafficking Humans (PATH) Coalition of Kentucky. Putting something specific on the books would deter more predators, she and others said.
From October 2021 to March 2023, there were at least 13,000 national cases of sextortion, according to Kentucky Youth Advocates data. Child victims of sextortion sometimes end their own lives, advocates said, because of shame and fear.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 988.
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.
'Sexual extortion is one of the most dangerous and rapidly growing crimes targeting our young people today,' Raque Adams said. 'It is calculated, it is cruel and it thrives on fear and silence.'
Her bill has been assigned to the Judiciary committee, and is on Thursday's agenda. A sister bill in the House has also been assigned to the House Judiciary committee.
Frankfort Police Detective Ricky Lynn said it's become increasingly difficult for parents to guard and monitor what children are exposed to through online games and social media. Children as young as 11 are exposed to pornography online, he said.
Through the internet, he said, 'sexual boundaries get blurred.'
'When someone finds them on the internet and talks to them about sending a naked picture or receiving a naked picture, now, all those boundaries are blurred, and most parents don't have the tools to even govern that, because we don't have any laws that govern that,' Lynn said.
Lady Tee Thompson, who works with several organizations to combat human trafficking, said Kentucky is a 'fertile ground' for 'predators to weaponize shame and isolation.'
The 'insidious' crime, she said, is 'a gateway to human trafficking.'
'When an individual is coerced into providing explicit images, videos or acts under threats of exposure, harm or blackmail and a party profits in the form of money, drugs or something else of value, often beginning online, it traps victims into cycles of fear, forging compliance and enabling traffickers to escalate controls, leading to in-person exploitation and trafficking,' Thompson said.
Advocates said there has recently been a ' steep climb' in 14-17-year-old boys targeted in this manner, though anyone can become a victim. Perpetrators often pose as a romantic interest, luring in boys who think they're speaking to girls their age.
Shannon Moody, the chief policy and strategy officer at Kentucky Youth Advocates, said the extortion leaves 'many children feeling ashamed and too scared to seek any help.'
More than half of minors find online grooming common, according to KYA data, 'really highlighting the widespread nature of how prevalent this is,' Moody said.
This is 'not a theoretical issue at all,' Thompson said.
'This is a crisis that is not just devastating,' she said. 'It is preventable, and yet we are not moving fast enough. We are allowing the predators to outpace our protection.'
SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

East Texas man among those arrested in FBI's Operation Soteria for possession of child porn
East Texas man among those arrested in FBI's Operation Soteria for possession of child porn

Yahoo

time12 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

East Texas man among those arrested in FBI's Operation Soteria for possession of child porn

VAN ZANDT COUNTY, Texas (KETK) — An East Texas man is among the 244 people arrested in connection to the FBI's Operation Soteria as they combat the exploitation of children in the digital space. Firefighter injured after early morning Longview house fire The Grand Saline Police Departmet received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) about suspected child sexual abuse material uploaded on the internet. During an investigation, officers discovered a suspect's residence and conducted a search warrant in April that resulted in several electronic devices being seized. Walter Lynn Baird was arrested on April 14 and charged with possession of child pornography, then charged with indecency with a child sexual contact on May 15, according to the police department. Those inside the residence were questioned and Baird was taken into custody. According to officials, additional charges are possible and the investigation is still active. Future of NASA Scientific Balloon Facility in Palestine in question due to proposed budget cuts 'This case was part of Operation Soteria Shield, led by the North Texas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force,' the police department said. 'The task force received significant support from NCMEC throughout the operation. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of local, state, and federal agencies, Operation Soteria Shield resulted in the arrest of 244 child predators and the rescue of 109 children.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

DC man charged after distributing multiple videos of child pornography, officials say
DC man charged after distributing multiple videos of child pornography, officials say

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

DC man charged after distributing multiple videos of child pornography, officials say

WASHINGTON () — A 28-year-old man from D.C. is facing federal charges after he sent multiple videos of child pornography to an undercover police officer, the U.S. Attorney's Office (USAO) detailed. On April 1, court documents state that the undercover officer was contacted by Zachary Silas Brandner on Jack'd, a dating app. His profile — under the username 'fart fetish' indicated they were 6'5″ and lived in Southwest D.C. After talking briefly on the app, the undercover officer messaged Silas via Telegram shortly after 11 a.m. Under the username 'Zboi29,' Silas said he was interested in 'infants up to 12' and asked the officer if he had kids. What to know about Trump's military parade in DC After a brief conversation, he forwarded a video that was just over five-and-a-half minutes long, showing an infant boy being assaulted by a man. Another video showed a young boy also being assaulted. The officer sent the information to the FBI, who launched an investigation into the person behind the account — later identified as Silas. In a later chat on Jack'd on May 20, he continued sending similarly provocative chats to the undercover officer, indicating his sexual interest in children. He was charged with two counts of Distribution of Child Pornography. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Man indicted on charges from pipe bomb explosions
Man indicted on charges from pipe bomb explosions

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Man indicted on charges from pipe bomb explosions

Jun. 11—A federal grand jury indicted a Hamilton County man Wednesday on federal crimes related to explosive devices. Robert Gilb, 50, of Green Twp., allegedly detonated three improvised explosive devices, or pipe bombs, in Hamilton and Butler counties in March and April. He was arrested Tuesday by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force. He possessed an unregistered destructive device and transporting explosive materials, the press release says. "This alleged activity posed a serious risk to public safety. The FBI worked closely with our law enforcement partners to neutralize this potential danger and protect the community." Hamilton County Sheriff's deputies were dispatched to Miami Twp. for a report of a loud explosion. What appeared to be a blast crater and components of an improvised explosive device were found, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office. The FBI investigation revealed there were two previous incidents in Morgan Twp. in Butler County that appeared to have had similar characteristics to the incident in Miami Twp. Butler County Sheriff's deputies responded to incidents March 23 and March 28. The FBI said witnesses saw Gilb in a white BMW near the site of at least one of the locations of the explosion. Gilb is charged with three counts of possessing an unregistered destructive device and three counts of transporting explosive materials. Each charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store