House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

NEW!

Subscribe to receive notifications of new Co-Sponsorship Memos circulated

By Member | By Date | Keyword Search

House of Representatives
Session of 2021 - 2022 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted:	October 26, 2021 02:41 PM
From:	Representative Kathleen C. Tomlinson
To:	All House members
Subject:	Lindsey's Law

In the near future, I intend to introduce legislation that will strengthen penalties on those who sexually extort their victims to such a degree that the extortion leads to serious bodily injury or death. On November 1, 2016, Jeannett and Paul Piccone received the news that no parent hopes to hear. Their daughter, 21-year-old Lindsey Piccone was found dead from an apparent suicide. It wouldn’t be for nearly five years from that awful day that the Piccone’s had some understanding as to why their beautiful daughter took her own life. Lindsey was the victim of ‘sextortion.’ That is, efforts by one man to demand sexually explicit photos and videos from unsuspecting victims. When this monster didn’t get what he wanted, he would bully and threaten the women, some, girls as young as 12, with violence, by revealing their photographs online, or sending the images to their friends and family. Lindsey was bullied and threatened to the point that shortly before taking her own life, she sent her predator sexual photos. This did not have to happen. While Lindsey's sexual predator has been identified and is awaiting trial, penalties need to be strengthened to ensure these individuals stay off our streets and away from our children. My bill will add sentencing enhancements to our current law against sexual extortion to guarantee that predators whose despicable use of sexual extortion leads to a victim suffering serious bodily injury or death will be punished appropriately. I hope you will join me in co-sponsoring “Lindsey’s Law”.

---