Constructing Offender Typologies From Judicial Data: A Clustering Analysis of Sextortion Cases

Abstract

Sextortion is a form of digitally facilitated sexual abuse that causes severe psychological, financial, and social harm, particularly to minors and marginalized adults. This study presents the first quantitative typology of people who commit sextortion, based on a clustering analysis of 111 U.S. judicial cases. Four distinct subtypes of offenders were identified: adult-focused financial sextortion; minor-focused CSAM-related sextortion; technologically sophisticated coercion of minors, sometimes resulting in fatal outcomes; and adult-focused hybrid sextortion that escalates from online manipulation to in-person exploitation. These subtypes differ in motivation, technical capacity, victim profiles, and sentencing outcomes, with the most technologically advanced group paradoxically receiving more lenient sentences. Overall, the findings extend existing typologies and highlight the need for differentiated investigative, prosecutorial, and policy responses to address the varied tactics and harms of sextortion.