Michigan Extortion Law

If you’ve been charged with or are under investigation for extortion, you need an experienced white collar criminal defense attorney representing you as early in the process as possible. Extortion is an extremely serious felony offense that can result in a lengthy term of incarceration. You do not want to jeopardize your Constitutional Rights by speaking with the police. Let the experienced criminal defense lawyers at Jeffrey Buehner, PLLC do the talking for you.

Extortion involves attempting to obtain something from another person through the use of threats. There are two varieties of felony extortion under Michigan law: threatening injury and threatening an accusation of a crime. Any crime involving threats to another person is going to be treated in a serious manner by a judge, but just because someone alleges you threatened them, doesn’t make it true. Statements can be taken out of context, they may be outright fabrications or they may be the result of a misunderstanding. The important thing to remember is that if you are the person being accused, you don’t want to handle the situation on your own. Call the experienced extortion defense lawyers at Jefffrey Buehner, PLLC now: (248) 865-9640.

Michigan Extortion Law - Threatening Injury

In order to prove extortion by threatening injury, the prosecutor must prove beyond a reasonable doubt all of the following:

1. The defendant threatened to injure the victim/the victim’s property or someone in the victim’s immediate family.

2. The defendant made this threat by saying it or by writing it down.

3. The defendant made the threat willfully, without just cause or excuse, and with the intent to either get money by doing it / make the person threatened (do / not do) something against the person’s will / or some for other improper purpose.

Michigan Extortion Law – Accusation of Crime

The elements of the alternate form of extortion (Accusation of Crime) are:

1.  The defendant threatened to accuse the victim of a crime.

2. The defendant made this threat by saying it or by writing it down.

3. The defendant made the threat willfully, without just cause or excuse, and with the intent to get money by doing it / make the person threatened (do / not do) something against the person’s will or for some other improper purpose.

What is a threat?

A threat for the purpose of extortion is a written or spoken statement of an intent to injure another person or that person’s property or family. A threat does not have to be stated in any particular words. It can be said in general or vague terms, without saying exactly what kind of injury is being threatened. It can also be made by suggestion.

Top Rated Michigan Extortion Defense Lawyers

If you’ve engaged in any type of conduct that could potentially be interpreted as extortion and you are contacted by the police, keep in mind that anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have a Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination: use it. Don’t talk with the police. You may very well be completely innocent of the crime of extortion, but, in a state of panic, say something to the police that hurts your defense. If something needs to be communicated to the police, it can safely be communicated through an attorney.

Jeffrey Buehner is a former prosecutor who has been involved in the criminal justice system for over 24 years. He has successfully closed out criminal investigations for many clients without charges being issued. In those cases where crimes have been charged, he has successfully tried cases to ‘not guilty’ verdicts. In other cases, he has arranged plea agreements that minimized the impact of criminal charges. In order to find the best possible outcome for your extortion case, you want the skills and experience of Jeffrey Buehner fighting on your behalf. he circumstances surrounding the alleged threat are going to dictate what type of defense is used in any given situation. More often than not, there is more to the story than what is initially presented to support criminal charges. .

what is the punishment for extortion

Extortion is an extremely felony that carries potentially life altering penalties. Extortion is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. When faced with such serious consequences, don’t settle for anything but the best : call the extortion defense attorneys at Jeffrey Buehner, PLLC to protect your freedom, your rights and your reputation. Call (248) 865-9640 or fill out the form below.