S. 3398

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3398 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 3398

To amend title 18, United States Code, to criminalize intentional 
threats to distribute child sexual abuse material, and to provide 
appropriate penalties for the use of child sexual abuse material to 
extort or coerce victims.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

December 9, 2025

Mr. Grassley (for himself, Mr. Durbin, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Cornyn, Mrs. 
Blackburn, and Mr. Graham) introduced the following bill; which was 
read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To amend title 18, United States Code, to criminalize intentional 
threats to distribute child sexual abuse material, and to provide 
appropriate penalties for the use of child sexual abuse material to 
extort or coerce victims.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Stop Sextortion Act''.

SEC. 2. CRIMINALIZING THREATS TO DISTRIBUTE CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE 
MATERIAL.

Title 18, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in section 2252--
(A) in subsection (a)(2)--
(i) in the matter preceding subparagraph 
(A)--
(I) by inserting ``, or threatens 
to distribute any visual depiction with 
intent to intimidate, coerce, extort, 
or cause substantial emotional distress 
to any person,'' after ``distributes, 
any visual depiction'';
(II) by striking ``foreign commerce 
or that'' and inserting ``foreign 
commerce, or involving a visual 
depiction that''; and
(III) by striking ``, or which 
contains materials which have been 
mailed or so shipped or transported,''; 
and
(B) in subsection (b)--
(i) in paragraph (1), by striking 
``Whoever'' and inserting ``Except as provided 
in paragraph (3), whoever''; and
(ii) by adding at the end the following:
``(3) Whoever violates, or attempts or conspires to violate, 
subsection (a)(2) for threatening to distribute any visual depiction, 
as described in that subsection, shall be punished as provided in 
paragraph (2) of this subsection if no such visual depiction 
existed.''; and
(2) in section 2252A--
(A) in subsection (a)(2)(A)--
(i) by inserting ``, or threatens to 
distribute any child pornography with intent to 
intimidate, coerce, extort, or cause 
substantial emotional distress to any person,'' 
after ``any child pornography''; and
(ii) by striking ``foreign commerce or 
that'' and inserting ``foreign commerce, or 
involving any child pornography that''; and
(B) in subsection (b)--
(i) in paragraph (1), by striking 
``Whoever'' and inserting ``Except as provided 
in paragraph (4), whoever''; and
(ii) by adding at the end the following:
``(4) Whoever violates, or attempts or conspires to violate, 
subsection (a)(2)(A) for threatening to distribute any child 
pornography, as described in that subsection, shall be punished as 
provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection if no such child 
pornography existed.''.

SEC. 3. PENALTIES FOR THREATS TO DISTRIBUTE CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE 
MATERIAL.

(a) In General.--Title 18, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in section 1466A--
(A) in subsection (a), in the matter preceding 
subsection (b), by inserting ``, but if the offense 
involves the knowing use of a visual depiction of a 
minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, with the 
intent to intimidate, coerce, extort, or cause 
substantial emotional distress to any person, the 
maximum term of imprisonment provided in section 
2252A(b)(1) shall be increased by 10 years'' before the 
period at the end; and
(B) in subsection (b), in the matter preceding 
subsection (c), by inserting ``, but if the offense 
involves the knowing use of a visual depiction of a 
minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, with the 
intent to intimidate, coerce, extort, or cause 
substantial emotional distress to any person, the 
maximum term of imprisonment provided in section 
2252A(b)(2) shall be increased by 10 years'' before the 
period at the end; and
(2) in section 2260A--
(A) in the section heading, by striking ``Penalties 
for registered sex offenders'' and inserting ``Other 
offenses and penalties'';
(B) by striking ``Whoever'' and inserting the 
following:
``(1) Offenses by registered sex offenders.--Whoever''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(2) Additional penalties.--If any offense under section 
875(d), 2251, 2252, 2252A, or 2260 involves the knowing use of 
child pornography with the intent to intimidate, coerce, 
extort, or cause substantial emotional distress to any person, 
the maximum term of imprisonment provided in section 875(d), 
2251(e), 2252(b), 2252A(b), or 2260(c) shall be increased by 10 
years.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for chapter 110 of 
title 18, United States Code, is amended by striking the item relating 
to section 2260A and inserting the following:

``2260A. Other offenses and penalties.''.

SEC. 4. SEVERABILITY.

If any provision of this Act, an amendment made by this Act, or the 
application of such provision or amendment to any person or 
circumstance is held to be unconstitutional, the remainder of this Act, 
the amendments made by this Act, and the application of the provisions 
of such to any person or circumstance shall not be affected thereby.
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