Sextortion Offenders: Typologies
Overview
While sextortion cases are on the rise, our scientific knowledge of the individuals who perpetrate these offenses is limited. As part of an effort to improve our understanding of this type of offending, Wang and Pei conducted the first quantitative study of sextortion cases.
Summary
The authors analyzed 111 sextortion cases that were tried in the Federal System that had information openly available from the Department of Justice. They conducted a factor analysis based on this data. The data fell into four clusters which the authors identified as the following types of offenders: Adult-Focused Financial Sextortion, Minor-Focused CSAM Sextortion, Minor-Focused Tech-Facilitated Sextortion and Adult-Focused Tech-Escalating Hybrid Sextortion.
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Reference
SOURCE RESEARCH
Constructing Offender Typologies From Judicial Data: A Clustering Analysis of Sextortion Cases
Wang, F., & Pei, W. (2026). Constructing Offender Typologies From Judicial Data: A Clustering Analysis of Sextortion Cases. Sexual Abuse, 38(5), 534–563.
DOI: 10.1177/10790632261434143
Published: 2026
Research type: Quantitative Study
Jurisdiction: U.S. Federal
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