MADISON, WI (WSAU) — The Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety has passed AB 201, also known as Bradyn’s Law.
The law, named after the late Bradyn Bohn, amends state law to address sextortion. The 17-year-old committed suicide this spring after falling victim to the scam, which involves coercing the victim to send nude photos and then threatening to release them unless a ransom is paid.
“Bradyn’s tragic passing demonstrated how vulnerable our children are online,” said Rep. Brent Jacobson of Mosinee in a press release. “With hundreds of young people in our state falling victim to organized sextortion rings every year, it has never been more critical for my colleagues and I to respond. Today’s unanimous vote sends a clear signal that Wisconsin will not tolerate heartless thugs who would prey on our kids.”
The bill has been amended to decrease the penalties from a Class A felony to a Class B, decreasing the penalties from an automatic life prison sentence to a maximum of 60 years in prison.
RELATED: Wisconsin Republicans To Introduce “Bradyn’s Law” To Combat Sextortion
Jacobson helped author the bill alongside Weston Representative Pat Snyder and Mosinee Senator Cory Romczyk. Democrats signed on include Shelia Stubbs and Lisa Subeck of Madison and Milwaukee’s Christine Sinicki.
An Assembly hearing for the bill has not been scheduled.
The FBI has issued a warning about a rise in incidents of online sextortion, especially from organizations like “764,” which are active both domestically and internationally. According to data from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), the NCMEC received 26,718 reports of financial sextortion in 2023, up from 10,731 reports in 2022.
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