VIDEO RELEASE: Senator Moody’s James T. Woods Act Protecting Kids by Targeting Perpetrators of Sextortion Heads to the Senate Floor

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WASHINGTON, D.C.-Senator Ashley Moody announced today her bill to protect children by targeting perpetrators of sextortion just passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The James T. Woods Act explicitly criminalizes intentional threats to distribute child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Under current law, sextortion has fallen outside existing CSAM statutes, forcing prosecutors to rely on patchwork charging theories that fail to reflect the gravity of these crimes.

Senator Ashley Moody said, "My James T. Woods Act to protect children from sextortion just passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee and now heads to the Senate Floor. Stranger danger is happening under our own roof. We must neutralize this threat and put these monsters behind bars. Together with Representative Laurel Lee we're getting it done!"

The Act is named after James T. Woods, a young man who was a victim of financial sextortion.

Sextortion is a form of sexual exploitation in which perpetrators threaten to distribute private or sensitive images unless victims comply with demands for additional sexual content, sexual favors, or money. Children and teens are particularly vulnerable to these crimes.

Reported sextortion cases in the U.S. has risen sharply-the FBI received nearly 55,000 reports of crimes related to sextortion and extortion, a 59% increase in the reports received a year earlier. Children are particularly vulnerable, with boys aged 14 to 17 most often targeted. In tragic cases, sextortion has led young victims to commit suicide.

This bill is a companion to legislation introduced by Rep. Laurel Lee (FL-15), that has passed the House.

More…

• As Teen Suicide Rates Rise, Senator Moody Cosponsors Stop Sextortion Act to Protect Kids from Online Predators
• Attorney General Moody Warns About How AI Can Be Used to Target and Extort Teens
• Warning About Increase in Sextortion of Minors

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