{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-514.080","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 514.080","heading":"Theft by extortion.","body":"(1) A person is guilty of theft by extortion when he or she intentionally obtains property\nof another by threatening to:\n(a) Inflict bodily injury on anyone or commit any other criminal offense; or\n(b) Accuse anyone of a criminal offense; or\n(c) Expose any sec ret tending to subject any person to hatred, contempt, or\nridicule, or to impair his or her credit or business repute; or\n(d) Use wrongfully his or her position as a public officer or servant or employee\nby performing some act within or related to his or h er official duties, either\nexpressed or implied, or by refusing or omitting to perform an official duty,\neither expressed or implied, in a manner affecting some person adversely; or\n(e) Bring about or continue a strike, boycott, or other collective unoffic ial action,\nif the property is not demanded or received for the benefit of the group in\nwhose interest the actor purports to act; or\n(f) Testify or provide information or withhold testimony or information with\nrespect to another's legal claim or defense.\n(2) It is a defense to prosecution based on subsection (1)(b), (c), or (d) that the property\nobtained by threat of accusation, exposure, lawsuit, or other invocation of official\naction was claimed as restitution or indemnification for harm done in the\ncircumstances to which accusation, exposure, lawsuit, or other official action\nrelates, or as compensation for property or lawful services.\n(3) Theft by extortion is a Class B misdemeanor unless:\n(a) The value of the property obtained is five hundred dollars ($ 500) or more but\nless than one thousand dollars ($1,000), in which case it is a Class A\nmisdemeanor;\n(b) The value of the property is one thousand dollars ($1,000) or more but less\nthan ten thousand dollars ($10,000), in which case it is a Class D felony;\n(c) A person has three (3) or more convictions under paragraph (a) of this\nsubsection within the last five (5) years, in which case it is a Class D felony.\nThe five (5) year period shall be measured from the dates on which the\noffenses occurred for which the judgments of conviction were entered; or\n(d) The value of the property is ten thousand dollars ($10,000) or more, in which\ncase it is a Class C felony.\n(4) If any person commits two (2) or more separate offenses of theft by extortion within\nninety (90) days, the offenses may be combined and treated as a single offense, and\nthe value of the property in each offense may be aggregated for the purpose of\ndetermining the appropriate charge.","path":["KRS Chapter 514"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=51042","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T21:00:02Z","sha256":"67121ab5cb6f3ced6b18dfea9db45f86b8c5f724276ed9e6feafb671181241e5","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-514.070","next":"us-ky/krs-514.090"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}