Extortion (also called blackmail, shakedown, outwresting, and exaction) is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person(s), entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime groups. The actual obtainment of money or property is not required to commit the offense. Making a threat of violence which refers to a requirement of a payment of money or property to halt future violence is sufficient to commit the offense. Exaction refers not only to extortion or the unlawful demanding and obtaining of something through force,^[1] but additionally, in its formal definition, means the infliction of something such as pain and suffering or making somebody endure something unpleasant.^[2]

Extortion is distinguished from robbery. In armed robbery, the offender takes goods from the victim with use of immediate force. In robbery goods are taken or an attempt is made to take the goods against the will of another—with or without force. A bank robbery or extortion of a bank can be committed by a letter handed by the criminal to the teller. In extortion, the victim is threatened to hand over goods, or else damage to their reputation or other harm or violence against them may occur. Under federal law extortion can be committed with or without the use of force and with or without the use of a weapon. A key difference is that extortion always involves a written or verbal threat whereas robbery can occur without any verbal or written threat.

The term extortion is often used metaphorically to refer to usury or to price-gouging, though neither is legally considered extortion. It is also often used loosely to refer to everyday situations where one person feels indebted against their will, to another, in order to receive an essential service or avoid legal consequences.

Neither extortion nor blackmail require a threat of a criminal act, such as violence, merely a threat used to elicit actions, money, or property from the object of the extortion. Such threats include the filing of reports (true or not) of criminal behavior to the police, revelation of damaging facts (such as pictures of the object of the extortion in a compromising position), etc.

United States[link]

In the United States, extortion may also be committed as a federal crime across a computer system, phone, by mail or in using any instrument of interstate commerce. Extortion requires that the individual sent the message willingly and knowingly as elements of the crime. The message only has to be sent (but does not have to reach the intended recipient) to commit the crime of extortion.

Similar crimes[link]

• Badger game: The victim or "mark"—often a married man—is tricked into a compromising position to make him vulnerable to blackmail.
• Clip joint: A clip joint or fleshpot is an establishment, usually a strip club or entertainment bar, typically one claiming to offer adult entertainment or bottle service, in which customers are tricked into paying money and receive poor goods or services, or none, in return.
• Coercion: the practice of compelling a person or manipulating them to behave in an involuntary way (whether through action or inaction) by use of threats, intimidation, trickery, or some other form of pressure or force. These are used as leverage, to force the victim to act in the desired way.
• Confidence trick (also known as a bunko, con, flim flam, gaffle, grift, hustle, scam, scheme, swindle or bamboozle): an attempt to defraud a person or group by gaining their confidence.
• Cryptovirology: a software scam in which a public key cryptography system crafts fake keys which encrypt the user's data, but cannot decrypt them unless the user pays for the real key.
• Danegeld: The Danegeld ("Danish tax") was a tax raised to pay tribute to the Viking raiders to save a land from being ravaged. It was called the geld or gafol in eleventh-century sources; the term Danegeld did not appear until the early twelfth century.
• Dognapping: The crime of taking a canine from its owner, which usually occurs in purebred dogs, the profit from which can run up to thousands of dollars.
• Loan sharking: A loan shark is a person or body that offers unsecured loans at high interest rates to individuals, often backed by blackmail or threats of violence.
• Nuclear blackmail: Nuclear blackmail is a form of nuclear strategy in which an aggressor uses the threat of use of nuclear weapons to force an adversary to perform some action or make some concessions. It is a type of extortion, related to brinkmanship.
• Prize: ransom offered instead of destroying a captured vessel, a form of extortion deemed acceptable under international law in the days of fighting sail.
• Price gouging: a pejorative term for a seller pricing much higher than is considered reasonable or fair. In precise, legal usage, it is the name of a felony that applies in some of the United States only during civil emergencies.
• Tallage: Tallage or talliage (from the French tailler, a part cut out of the whole) may have signified at first any tax, but became in England and France a land use or land tenure tax. Later in England it was further limited to assessments by the crown upon cities, boroughs, and royal domains. In effect, tallage was a land tax.
• Terrorism: most simply, policy intended to intimidate or cause terror. It is more commonly understood as an act which is intended to create fear (terror), is perpetrated for an ideological goal (as opposed to a materialistic goal or a lone attack), and deliberately targets (or disregards the safety of) non-combatants. Some definitions also include acts of unlawful violence or unconventional warfare, but at present, the international community has been unable to formulate a universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition of terrorism.
• Tiger kidnapping: the taking of an innocent hostage to make a loved one or associate of the victim do something, e.g. a child is taken hostage to force the shopkeeper to open the safe; the term originates from the prior observation of the victim, like a tiger does with its prey. Ransoms are often used alongside these.
• Wheel clamping: widely used in England by private individuals and companies to extort money from motorists. This practice is illegal in Scotland.

See also[link]

References[link]

1. ^ Exaction - definition of exaction by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia
2. ^ "Exact definition - Dictionary - MSN Encarta". Archived from the original on 2009-10-31. http://www.webcitation.org/5kwc1Rfdf. 

External links[link]

• Legaltree, a Canadian legal portal, contains an article describing the elements of the offence of extortion under Canadian criminal law.

v t e Types of crime Note: Crimes vary by jurisdiction. Not all types are listed here. Classes Infraction · Misdemeanor · Felony · Summary · Indictable · Hybrid Against the person Assault · Battery · Cannibalism · Extortion · Harassment · Kidnapping · Identity theft · Manslaughter (corporate) · Murder · Rape · Robbery · Sexual assault Against property Arson · Blackmail · Burglary · Deception · Embezzlement · False pretenses · Fraud · Handling · Larceny · Theft · Vandalism Against public order Drug possession Against the state Tax evasion · Espionage · Treason Against justice Bribery · Misprision of felony · Obstruction · Perjury · Malfeasance in office Inchoate offenses Accessory · Attempt · Conspiracy · Incitement · Solicitation · Common purpose WikiSource · Wikimedia Commons · Wikiquote · Wikinews

José Jaime Maussan Flota (born May 31, 1953) is a Mexican journalist and Mexico's leading ufologist.^[1]

Career[link]

Jaime Maussan studied journalism at the UNAM and the Miami University in Ohio, United States.

Since 1970 he has practiced his profession as a reporter in the following ways: El Sol de México (Mexico's Sun), Diario "La Afición" (Diary "The Hobby"), 24 Horas (24 Hours), W Radio, XEX Radio and Televisa, among others.

Within highlighted Televisa correspondent in the United States, General Information reporter Domingo a Domingo (Sunday to Sunday) program with Jacobo Zabludovsky, General Coordinator and director of sixty stories for the same program.

The works that helped Jaime become known as an outstanding reporter and researcher, took place within the television program "60 Minutos" ("60 Minutes") where he did research on environmental and social reporting, was the series of reports "Génesis y Apocalipsis" ("Genesis and Apocalypse"), Mexico and the world by the year 2000, which marked the path to Jaime Maussan as one of the most important journalists and researchers, winning over 14 awards in the world, within most notably, the World Institute Award UN Population granted to a selection of more than 7,000 jobs, delivered at the Mike Mansfield Room of the Capitol in Washington D.C. in the United States. Award "Gustavo Alatriste" by the production of "Los Niños Drogadictos" ("Children addicts") in 1993, also presented at the Festival de Cannes, France. Award Ondas in Barcelona, Spain for "Monarca, Reina de las Mariposas" ("Monarch Butterfly Queen") and award in Banff in Canada in 1979 and 1980, respectively, among others.

Education[link]

• National Autonomous University of Mexico (1972–73)
• Graduated from Miami University with a B.A. in Radio and Television (1974–1976).

Journalism[link]

This article is in a list format that may be better presented using prose. You can help by converting this article to prose, if appropriate. Editing help is available. (October 2010)

The following list is also available on his homepage:

• 1970 - 1971 Reporter apprentice in the weekly Ram.
• 1971 Inexperienced reporter for El Sol de México.
• 1972 Reporter of the newspaper The Liking.
• 1972 Editor of reporters in Mexican telesistema.
• 1973 Reporter of 24 Horas and W Radio.
• 1973 Reporter of the news for the television program Hoy Sábado, with Jacobo Zabludovsky.
• 1973 Reporter of sports in television.
• 1974-1976 Correspondent of television in the United States.
• 1975 Reporter for XEX Radio.
• 1976 Reporter of general information for the news program 24 Horas with Jacobo Zabludovsky.
• 1977 General coordinator of the television program Domingo a Domingo of television, with Jacobo Zabludovsky.
• 1977-1979 Producer of sixty news articles of 45 minutes for the televising program Domingo a Domingo, of television.
• 1978 Director of the series El Mito y la Mágia de Rufino Tamayo, television, with duration of 5 hours, Jacobo Zabludovsky.
• 1980-1995 Reporter of the program 60 Minutos of television, with 170 news articles of investigation to the air.
• 1985-1990 Head of information of the program 60 Minutos, of television.
• 1985-1995 Conductor of the televising program 60 Minutos, of television.
• 1986 Coordinator journalistic of television for the worldwide one of soccer.
• 1989-1990 Director of news articles of investigation of the system of the news and entertainment Eco.
• 1990-1995 Chief of a main directorate of the televising program 60 Minutos, of television.
• 1991 President and founder of the company Research Programs.
• 1991-2000 Director of 20 commercial videos, between which they emphasize Magnicidio (Vida y Muerte de Luis Donaldo Colosio), Los Enigmas de Guadalupe, the series OVNI and programs on environment.
• 1991-2005 Lecturer in congresses and events in Mexico and the world.
• 1992 Conference in the foundation Miguel Germán on the summit of Río de Janeiro.
• 1993-1994 Direction and conduction of 50 programs La Cumbre de la Tierra, of television.
• 1996 Conductor of programs in XEW Radio.
• 1997 Director and producer of the program Tercer Milenio of television.
• 1997 Director general of the second worldwide congress UFO Acapulco 1997.
• 1997 Director and founding president of company Producciones Maussan.
• 1999 Chief of a main directorate of the third worldwide congress UFO Acapulco 1999.
• 1999 The www.ovnis.com.mx web site is presented/displayed to the public, having received a million visits after his first week.
• 1999-2005 Conductor of the program 60 Minutos/Megasistema, Investigative Journalism ABC radio.
• 2000 Producer of the CD interactive ROM Starmix 2. Over 500,000 copies sold.
• 2000 Producer of the CD interactive ROM Starmix 3. Over 400,000 copies sold.
• 2002 Chief of a main directorate of the program of radio Exaterrestres, MVS Radio with national transmission.
• 2002 Chief of a main directorate of the radio program Planeta Azul of megasistema ABC radio.
• 2002-2005 Correspondal and producer of news articles for chain telemundo canal 52 of Los Angeles, California (USA).
• 2003 Chief of a main directorate of the pages in internet • www.losovnis.tv • www.planetazul.tv • www.tercermilenio.tv • www.homolongevus.tv
• 2003 Creator of the first television channel in unique internet in its tipo • www.jaimemaussan.tv • www.jaimemaussan.tv he transmits the following programs: the great mysteries of the third millennium the watchmen table of celebrities photography factory blue planet the fourth way reality ground zero planet earth emergency homo longevus mysteries of science.
• 2004-2006 General Director of program Los Grandes Misterios del Tercer Milenio, broadcast by Channel 4 of television in Mexico.
• 2005 Conference for the ministry of defense of the air force of Perú.

Awards[link]

The following list is also available on his homepage:

References[link]

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (February 2008)

External links[link]

• (Spanish) Jaime Maussan - Homepage
• (Spanish) Jaime Maussan - Homepage - Biography
• Jaime Maussan at the Internet Movie Database

Videos[link]

• Safespace - Fastwalkers - Winter 2006
• UFO Conference - 2005

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