The Law Firm of Jerome W. Matthews, Jr., LLC

Serving the Greater New Orleans Area

§66.  Extortion
A.  Extortion is the communication of threats to another with the intention thereby to obtain anything of value or any acquittance, advantage, or immunity of any description.  Any one of the following kinds of threats shall be sufficient to constitute extortion:
(1)  A threat to do any unlawful injury to the person or property of the individual threatened or of any member of his family or of any other person held dear to him.
(2)  A threat to accuse the individual threatened or any member of his family or any other person held dear to him of any crime.
(3)  A threat to expose or impute any deformity or disgrace to the individual threatened or to any member of his family or to any other person held dear to him.
(4)  A threat to expose any secret affecting the individual threatened or any member of his family or any other person held dear to him.
(5)  A threat to cause harm as retribution for participation in any legislative hearing or proceeding, administrative proceeding, or in any other legal action.
(6)  A threat to do any other harm.
B.  Whoever commits the crime of extortion shall be imprisoned at hard labor for not less than one nor more than fifteen years.
Acts 2011, No. 243, §1.


When should you hire a criminal defense attorney?

Anyone who has been arrested or charged with committing a crime will undoubtedly need the help of a New Orleans Criminal Defense Attorney. Many individuals facing criminal charges delay finding a qualified attorney until there is no other option, which can be a big mistake. There are undoubtedly many important things happening at once when charges are made that must be handled; however, the first thing that should be done is to find legal counsel. Most criminal defense attorneys would stress that the outcome of the case may very well depend on early attorney representation.

Researching and finding a good New Orleans Criminal Defense Lawyer as early in the process as possible is recommended when someone has been arrested and is facing possible criminal charges. This is especially true immediately after being arrested but before formal charges have been filed as many times attorneys can negotiate a dismissal before any charges are actually made. The key to taking advantage of such an opportune time is getting legal representation immediately after the arrest.

If charges have been made, it is still vital to find legal representation right away to improve having a more positive outcome. Any negotiating prior to authorization of charges, plea bargaining, or other discussion about dropping or lessening charges is more likely to happen in the early stages of a case rather than after charges have been finalized. A criminal defense attorney will know if there may be bargaining room with the prosecutor after hearing an account of the arrest as well as know how to proceed from that point.

Hire a New Orleans Criminal Defense Attorney Today!!!