(1) A person is guilty of extortion in the second degree if he or she commits extortion by means of a wrongful threat as defined in RCW 9A.04.110(28) (d) through (j).

Attorney's Note

Under the Washington Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
class C felonyup to 5 yearsup to $10,000
For details, see Wash. Rev. Code § 9A.20.021

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Terms Used In Washington Code 9A.56.130

  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • person: may be construed to include the United States, this state, or any state or territory, or any public or private corporation or limited liability company, as well as an individual. See Washington Code 1.16.080
(2) In any prosecution under this section based on a threat to accuse any person of a crime or cause criminal charges to be instituted against any person, it is a defense that the actor reasonably believed the threatened criminal charge to be true and that his or her sole purpose was to compel or induce the person threatened to take reasonable action to make good the wrong which was the subject of such threatened criminal charge.
(3) Extortion in the second degree is a class C felony.

NOTES:

Explanatory statement2018 c 22: See note following RCW 1.20.051.
Intent2002 c 47: “The legislature intends to revise the crime of extortion in the second degree in response to the holding in State v. Pauling, 108 Wn. App. 445 (2001), by adding a requirement that the threat required for conviction of the offense be wrongful.” [ 2002 c 47 § 1.]