S. 3398 – Stop Sextortion Act

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Updated December 31, 2025 at 3:51 AM UTC

The Stop Sextortion Act amends federal child‑exploitation laws to make it a crime to threaten to share child sexual abuse material as a way to intimidate, coerce, or extort someone, even when the material doesn’t exist. It also raises the maximum prison sentences for any crime that uses such material to pressure victims by an additional ten years. The changes affect anyone who commits or attempts these threats or uses child pornography for coercive purposes, including registered sex offenders.

Key Provisions

Adds language to existing child pornography statutes (18 U.S.C. §§ 2252 and 2252A) to make it a crime to threaten to distribute any visual depiction of child sexual abuse with the intent to intimidate, coerce, extort, or cause emotional distress, even if the material does not actually exist.
Creates a new penalty provision that treats a threat to distribute child sexual abuse material the same as the underlying distribution offense, applying the same maximum prison terms.
Increases the maximum prison term for offenses that use child sexual abuse material to intimidate, coerce, or extort by an additional 10 years across several related statutes (including §§ 1466A, 2252, 2252A, and 2260A).
Updates the heading and language of § 2260A to cover “Other offenses and penalties” and adds a clause that any offense involving the knowing use of child pornography for intimidation or extortion carries the extra 10‑year penalty.

Legislative Activity

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SenateIntro Referral Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Judiciary Committee

December 9, 2025

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SenateIntro Referral

Introduced in Senate

December 9, 2025

SenateIntro Referral

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Judiciary Committee

December 9, 2025

Bill Text

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Introduced in SenateIssued December 9, 2025

II

119th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. 3398

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.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Stop Sextortion Act.

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.

.

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.

.

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.