Colorado Criminal Extortion Defense Lawyers

In Colorado, a person commits criminal extortion if he or she makes certain threats in order to induce another person to act against unwillingly. Generally, for a person to be convicted of criminal extortion, he or she must threaten to confine, restrain, injure, cause economic harm to, or damage the property or reputation of the threatened person or another person. Further, the suspect must further threaten to achieve such a result by either performing an unlawful act, causing an unlawful act to be performed, or by invoking action by a third party, including but not limited to the state or any of its political subdivisions, whose interests are not substantially related to the interests pursued by the person making the threat.

However, if the person threatens to use chemical, biological, or harmful radioactive agents, weapons, or poison, he or she commits aggravated criminal extortion.

Alternatively, a person commits criminal extortion if, in order to induce another person to unwillingly give the person money or any other item of value, threatens to report someone’s immigration status to law enforcement officials.

Criminal extortion is a class 4 felony that carries a presumptive minimum sentence of two years of imprisonment and a presumptive maximum sentence of six years. Under extraordinary aggravating circumstances, a court may impose a sentence of more than six years, and under extraordinary mitigating circumstances, a court may impose a sentence of less than two years.

Aggravated criminal extortion is a class 3 felony that carries a presumptive minimum sentence of four years of imprisonment and a presumptive maximum sentence of twelve years. Under extraordinary aggravating circumstances, a court may impose a sentence of more than twelve years, and under extraordinary mitigating circumstances, a court may impose a sentence of less than four years.