Bill banning sextortion in Wisconsin moving through the legislature

MADISON, Wis. (CIVIC MEDIA) – A bill that would ban sextortion is making its way through the legislature. 

In sextortion crimes, scammers target teens, often teen boys, pretending they could be a romantic interest. The scammers get the teens to send intimate photos or videos of themselves, and then the scammers turn on them. They blackmail their victims into sending them money, saying if they don’t, they’ll release the intimate content. Sometimes they even threaten teens by saying they’ll report them to police, because they created child pornography, and will be put on the sex offender registry. 

According to the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative, 28 states have sextortion laws on the books. Lawmakers are proposing that Wisconsin should become the 29th. 

State Republicans have introduced an anti-sextortion bill inspired by Bradyn Bohn. The DC Everest high schooler died by suicide in March after he was targeted in a sextortion plot. You can read our previous coverage of his story here. 

His family has been advocating for change from lawmakers. His mom and stepdad testified at an emotional Senate committee hearing Wednesday. 

“If Bradyn in his death can save one more kid, that makes it a little less heavy,” his mom Brittany Bird said through tears. 

Many of these scammers are outside the U.S., which makes finding and prosecuting perpetrators complicated. 

However, more and more young people are being targeted. Bradyn’s stepdad testified that some people sell scripts online teaching others how to commit these crimes, and target young people. 

“In 2021, there were 139 reported cases of financial sextortion targeting minors within the United States. That number’s jumped to 36,000 reported victims in 2024,” said Luke Bird, Bradyn’s stepdad. “This is per the Center for Missing and Exploited Children. That’s a 26,000% increase in a three-year span.”

The bill passed the Wisconsin Assembly unanimously. It’s expected to get similar support in the Senate.