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Extortion & Blackmail

Under the 518 PC Penal Code, California’s crime of extortion (also referred to as blackmail) happens when an individual does any of the following:

  • As a public official, they act under the color of their official right to compel another individual to give them money or other types of property
  • Uses threats or force to compel a public officer to execute an official act
  • Uses threats or force to compel another individual to give them money or other property

The above information may be a bit complicated. Furthermore, California extortion charges can be brought in using a variety of scenarios and therefore require the use of a skilled bondsman. There are examples of behavior that may considered to be those of a person performing blackmail/extortion under California law.

Extortion Examples

  • An adult female with substance abuse related issues threatens to accuse her father of molestation is he fails to give her money to buy controlled substances
  • A real estate developer threatening to expose a member of the city council, who is having an extramarital affair, to the media if the city council member fails to vote positively for the approval of the building project the developer wants to build
  • A man breaks into a home (armed with a weapon such as a knife) and threatens to kill the owner of the home if they don’t open their safe that has expensive jewelry and large amounts of cash.

Sports, celebrities and politicians are frequent extortion targets. Even though this is the case, any person can find themselves accused of or be the victim of extortion. In California, extortion is in most cases is a felony. The penalties range from two to four years in a county jail. In some case, the accused may be released on a 10,000 dollar fine.

The bail bond process

When an accused individual speaks to a professional bail bond agent, they will get answer to most of their urgent questions. We offer an easy and quick application which can be handled from the accused’s home. The professional agent should be able to talk the accused through the approval process in a few minutes over the phone. All the accused needs is an email or fax.

A professional bail bond agent will make things easier for an accused individual. The agent will provide his/her client with a number of bail bond payment options. They will also know how to negotiate for the lowest bail amount. In fact, if the accused does not have the money to immediately pay their bail, the agent will pay on their behalf and organize a repayment plan for the accused. Most agents accept American Express, Discover, MasterCard, VISA and cash. Using a credit card has been found to be the fastest way to obtain a bail bond. People accused should know that bail bonds typically require payment before the arrestee is released from jail. This information should be taken seriously by any individual accused of or a victim of extortion.
You may like to read about CA Bribery laws & Penalities