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

Area of Science:

• Criminology
• Cyberpsychology
• Digital Forensics

Background:

• Sextortion is a severe digital sexual abuse with significant harms.
• Existing typologies lack quantitative depth.
• Minors and marginalized adults are particularly vulnerable.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish the first quantitative typology of sextortion offenders.
• To analyze offender characteristics and behaviors in U.S. judicial cases.

Main Methods:

• Clustering analysis of 111 U.S. judicial cases.
• Identification and differentiation of offender subtypes based on case data.

Main Results:

• Four distinct sextortion offender subtypes identified: adult-focused financial, minor-focused CSAM-related, technologically sophisticated coercion of minors, and adult-focused hybrid.
• Subtypes vary in motivation, technical skills, victim profiles, and sentencing.
• Technologically advanced offenders paradoxically received lighter sentences.

Conclusions:

• Findings offer a novel, data-driven typology of sextortion offenders.
• Highlights the need for tailored investigative, prosecutorial, and policy strategies.
• Addresses the diverse tactics and impacts of sextortion for improved victim support and offender accountability.