3. The offense is committed by a spouse, ex-spouse, son, daughter, granddaughter, friend, neighbor of or stranger unknown to the complaining witness threatened with a deliberate false accusation or allegation of a sex crime or other criminal act.

B. Terrorism by extortion is a felony punishable to confinement in a state correctional facility for a term of not less than five nor more than ten years and/or by a fine of not more than $100,000.

Example 1: A couple with a child or children decide to divorce. The wife wants full custody of both children; the husband puts his foot down on this demand, insisting instead on having shared custody. She tells him that if he continues to refuse, she will bring charges of "sexual abuse" against him, although she knows he did nothing to harm the children, and will notify police to press those charges. The threat: cave in to wife’s demands or face the consequences of a possible jail sentence.

Example 2: A divorced mother with two children says she feels "cheated" and demands the child’s father give her more child support. He refuses, knowing she has more than enough money to meet her own needs and those of the children. A short time later, he receives a letter from her attorney, advising that his children have accused him of sexually molesting them, and she is thinking of contacting the authorities unless he will "be reasonable" and give her the extra funds she asked for. Same threat, different circumstances.

Example 3: A grown daughter with children and her father have an unpleasant quarrel about the disposition of a family home, which he has the legal right to sell. The father wanted to sell the home, and use the proceeds to set up a new life elsewhere. Daughter is angry, insisting he has no right to sell a home she believes herself to be entitled to. She threatens that he will "regret it" if he goes ahead with his plans to sell the home. A few days later, she accuses him of sexually molesting one of her children and calls the police to press charges. What better way to prevent someone from selling a piece of property; using the criminal justice system to knowingly, intentionally and maliciously put an innocent person in jail.

Example 4: An adolescent, angry and resentful over a disciplinary action, decided to "get even" with the principal who initiated the action. She went to the police and deliberately lied about an attempted rape by the principal. Within days of the accusation, the principal was arrested, and was forced to post a high bond to keep himself out of jail. The charges were later dropped, but the girl had no remorse about making the false accusation.

Each example provided was a real case, with the potential of destroying the life of the person falsely accused, even though no crime was ever committed. Without the safeguard of an appropriate felony offense enacted by law, more innocent people like those portrayed here will continue to be threatened, arrested, incarcerated and possibly convicted, instead of real sexual predators. It is long past the time for legislators to act immediately and pass this law, making it a felony offense to knowingly, intentionally,  maliciously or recklessly bring a false accusation of a sex crime or other criminal act against another. Innocent people and their loved ones have been without a legal means of protection from terrorists by extortion for far too long as it is, and have suffered unjust criminal penalties without it.