Under United States federal law extortion can be committed with or without the use of force and with or without the use of a weapon. In extortion, the victim is threatened to hand over goods, or else damage to their reputation or other harm or violence against them may occur. A bank robbery or extortion of a bank can be committed by a letter handed by the criminal to the teller. In robbery goods are taken or an attempt is made to take the goods against the will of another-with or without force. In armed robbery, the offender takes goods from the victim with use of immediate force. Exaction refers not only to extortion or the unlawful demanding and obtaining of something through force, but additionally, in its formal definition, means the infliction of something such as pain and suffering or making somebody endure something unpleasant.Įxtortion is distinguished from robbery. Making a threat of violence which refers to a requirement of a payment of money or property to halt future violence is sufficient to commit the offense.

The actual obtainment of money or property is not required to commit the offense. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime groups. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Freebase (0.00 / 0 votes) Rate this definition:Įxtortion is a criminal offence of unlawfully obtaining money, property, or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion.

Extortion definition law