The criminal offense of sextortion is a form of blackmail or extortion and is committed when a person threatens to publish private nude, pornographic, or explicit photos, videos, or images of another person’s body or sexual activity unless the person provides something of value—such as money, sexual activity, more sexual images, or the performance of sexual acts (often online using webcams).

Sextortion laws vary from state to state and are sometimes part of a state’s laws regarding revenge pornography, blackmail, extortion, bribery, or cyberstalking and are prosecuted under those or other criminal offenses rather than as a specific offense called sextortion. These laws are generally located in a state’s statutes—often in the penal or criminal code—and are sometimes titled with descriptive names such as The Unlawful Disclosure or Promotion of Intimate Visual Material.

In Louisiana (LA), sextortion is not recognized as a distinct criminal offense under a specific statute named 'sextortion.' However, such conduct is typically prosecuted under various other criminal statutes. Louisiana law addresses similar conduct under its 'Revenge Porn' statute, which is found in Louisiana Revised Statutes 14:283.2, titled 'Nonconsensual disclosure of a private image.' This law makes it illegal to intentionally disclose an image or video of another person who is nude or engaged in sexual conduct without their consent when there is an expectation of privacy. Violation of this statute can result in criminal penalties. Additionally, sextortion could be prosecuted under Louisiana's extortion laws, found in Louisiana Revised Statutes 14:66, which criminalize obtaining anything of value from another by wrongful use of force, threats, or intimidation. The state may also use laws against cyberstalking, as per Louisiana Revised Statutes 14:40.3, to prosecute cases where electronic communication is used for threats or harassment. The specific charges and penalties would depend on the details of the case, including the nature of the threats, the age of the victim, and whether interstate communication was involved.