Extortion And Blackmail Laws In California by Matt Horeczko In California, you can be charged with extortion for many different types of behaviors. You can be charged with extortion, among other crimes, for breaking into someone’s house and threatening to kill them with a gun if they don’t give you money. If a government official does not approve a real estate project that the developer is working on, a developer threatens to reveal the affair he or she is having with the official. Another possibility is if an adult daughter threatens to accuse her father of molesting her if he does not give her money. Note that extortion can be charged whether it occurred in person, by telephony, text, email or any other form of communication.