Bill aimed at cracking down on sexual extortion passes SC House unanimously

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Lawmakers in the Palmetto State unanimously passed a bill that aims to crack down on sexual extortion.

According to the FBI, sexual extortion, or sextortion, happens when someone threatens to share another person’s private, personal materials. The victim is forced to share explicit photos in exchange for that personal information.

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It’s an incredibly personal project for York County Rep. Brandon Guffey. His 18-year-old son, Gavin, was a victim of online sextortion and died by suicide shortly after.

Channel 9’s South Carolina reporter Tina Terry was in Columbia Wednesday as Guffey pushed for tougher penalties. His bill would make the crime punishable by up to 30 years in prison.

The bill passed the state House Wednesday in a bittersweet victory for Guffey.

“It’s one thing to lose your child, but it’s another thing to know that your child chose to take their own life,” he said.

Guffey says someone pretending to be a girl online convinced Gavin to send nude pictures of himself and began extorting the teen. A short time later, Gavin died by suicide.

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The bill that just passed South Carolina’s state House creates new charges for sexual extortion. It says a person convicted of the felony must be imprisoned not more than five years for a first offense, not more than 10 years for a second, and not more than 20 years for a third. If the victim is a minor or a vulnerable adult and the person convicted is an adult, the person would automatically face up to 20 years.

“Most importantly, it’s going to force the school districts, along with the attorney general, to release and inform all students, teachers, faculty, and the public of the new bill, which will raise discussion of sextortion,” Guffey said.

On the state House floor Wednesday, Guffey wore his son’s tennis shoes and the bracelet Gavin was wearing when he died.

“I just tried to draw strength from that to really know that, and trying to really know that, I’m fighting to keep other parents from feeling this pain,” Guffey said.

The bill now goes to the Senate for a vote. Guffey said it’s likely too late for the bill to pass the Senate this session, but he urged senators to pass it next session, saying he is even willing to sit down and compromise on the language.

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