Sextortion bill passes in South Carolina

ROCK HILL, S.C. — Legislators in South Carolina have passed a bill that increases penalties for trying to extort somebody over their intimate photos or data.

The bill was introduced after York County Rep. Brandon Guffey’s 18-year-old son was a victim of online sextortion. His son, Gavin, died by suicide shortly after.

The FBI says sexual extortion happens when someone threatens to share another person’s private, personal materials.

South Carolina’s newly passed bill 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.

Guffey told Channel 9′s Tina Terry that he didn’t expect movement on the bill until next year, but he’s grateful that it passed the General Assembly. When the bill passed the state House, he told Terry it was bittersweet victory.

“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.

Gov. Henry McMaster has already indicated that he’s going to sign the bill into law during a visit to Rock Hill this year.

(WATCH: FBI tracking major uptick in teens targeted by online threat “sextortion”)