Federal law now criminalizes sextortion threats targeting minors
S. 3704 — COP Act · Filed by Ashley Moody (R-FL) · Introduced Jan 27, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill amends federal law to criminalize threats to minors involving child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Specifically, it makes it a federal crime to threaten to distribute CSAM or images of someone believed to be a minor engaging in sexual conduct, with intent to coerce the minor into creating or transmitting such material. This targets sextortion and online predation tactics where perpetrators use threats as leverage.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole operative mechanism is adding criminal prohibitions targeting sextortion and online predation tactics. It is a straightforward public-safety amendment to existing child-protection statutes.
What the text implies
- The bill criminalizes threats based on the defendant's belief that the target is a minor, not just actual minors—this may capture cases involving adults impersonating minors in sting operations or catfishing scenarios, potentially affecting law enforcement tactics.
- Prosecution requires proving intent that the minor 'create or transmit' CSAM, which may create evidentiary burdens in cases where the threat is made but no material is ultimately produced.
- The amendment applies to conduct 'in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce,' which is broad enough to capture online threats crossing state or national lines, potentially federalizing conduct that might otherwise be prosecuted locally.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
The bill strengthens criminal penalties against a specific predatory tactic (sextortion via CSAM threats) that directly harms minors. It closes a gap in existing law by making the threat itself prosecutable, not just possession or distribution of material. Minors and their families benefit from expanded legal recourse and deterrence.
Named in the bill
U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, 18 USC §2252, 18 USC §2252A
Where it stands
- Jan 27, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
- Jan 27, 2026 — Referred to Senate Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (1,978 characters) on Jun 20, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
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