SECTIONS 518-527 - California Statutes

PENAL CODE

SECTION 518-527

518. Extortion is the obtaining of property from another, with his
consent, or the obtaining of an official act of a public officer,
induced by a wrongful use of force or fear, or under color of
official right.

519. Fear, such as will constitute extortion, may be induced by a
threat, either:
1. To do an unlawful injury to the person or property of the
individual threatened or of a third person; or,
2. To accuse the individual threatened, or any relative of his, or
member of his family, of any crime; or,
3. To expose, or to impute to him or them any deformity, disgrace
or crime; or,
4. To expose any secret affecting him or them.

520. Every person who extorts any money or other property from
another, under circumstances not amounting to robbery or carjacking,
by means of force, or any threat, such as is mentioned in Section
519, shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for two,
three or four years.

521. Every person who commits any extortion under color of official
right, in cases for which a different punishment is not prescribed
in this Code, is guilty of a misdemeanor.

522. Every person who, by any extortionate means, obtains from
another his signature to any paper or instrument, whereby, if such
signature were freely given, any property would be transferred, or
any debt, demand, charge, or right of action created, is punishable
in the same manner as if the actual delivery of such debt, demand,
charge, or right of action were obtained.

523. Every person who, with intent to extort any money or other
property from another, sends or delivers to any person any letter or
other writing, whether subscribed or not, expressing or implying, or
adapted to imply, any threat such as is specified in Section 519, is
punishable in the same manner as if such money or property were
actually obtained by means of such threat.

524. Every person who attempts, by means of any threat, such as is
specified in Section 519 of this code, to extort money or other
property from another is punishable by imprisonment in the county
jail not longer than one year or in the state prison or by fine not
exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or by both such fine and
imprisonment.

525. Upon conviction of a felony violation under this chapter, the
fact that the victim was an elder or dependent person, as defined in
Section 288, shall be considered a circumstance in aggravation when
imposing a term under subdivision (b) of Section 1170.

526. Any person, who, with intent to obtain from another person any
money, article of personal property or other thing of value,
delivers or causes to be delivered to the other person any paper,
document or written, typed or printed form purporting to be an order
or other process of a court, or designed or calculated by its
writing, typing or printing, or the arrangement thereof, to cause or
lead the other person to believe it to be an order or other process
of a court, when in fact such paper, document or written, typed or
printed form is not an order or process of a court, is guilty of a
misdemeanor, and each separate delivery of any paper, document or
written, typed or printed form shall constitute a separate offense.

527. Any person who shall sell or offer for sale, print, publish,
or distribute any paper, document or written, typed or printed form,
designed or calculated by its writing, typing or printing, or the
arrangement thereof, to cause or lead any person to believe it to be,
or that it will be used as an order or other process of a court when
in fact such paper, document or written, typed or printed form is
not to be used as the order or process of a court, is guilty of a
misdemeanor, and each separate publication, printing, distribution,
sale or offer to sell any such paper, document or written, typed or
printed form shall constitute a separate offense, and upon conviction
thereof in addition to any other sentence imposed the court may
order that all such papers or documents or written, typed or printed
forms in the possession or under the control of the person found
guilty of such misdemeanor shall be delivered to such court or the
clerk thereof for destruction.