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To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit threats to a minor, and for other purposes.
Summary
The Combating Online Predators Act (COP Act) amends federal law to make it a crime to threaten distribution of sexually explicit images or videos of minors in order to coerce minors into creating or transmitting such material. The law applies to threats involving actual minors or people the defendant believes to be minors. This new criminal provision covers distribution or provision of such threats in interstate or foreign commerce. The amendments modify existing federal child exploitation statutes to include this extortion-based offense alongside traditional possession and distribution crimes.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
- Sen. Moody, Ashley [R-FL] (R-FL)
Actions (2)
- Jan 27, 2026 Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. · senate
- Jan 27, 2026 Introduced in Senate
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Full text
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 27, 2026
Mrs. Moody introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
A BILL
To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit threats to a minor, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Combating Online Predators Act” or the “COP Act”.
SEC. 2. PROHIBITING THREATS TO A MINOR.
(a) Material Involving the Sexual Exploitation of Minors.—Section 2252A of title 18, United States Code, is amended—
(1) in subsection (a)—
(A) in paragraph (6), by striking “illegal; or” and inserting “illegal;”;
(B) in paragraph (7), by striking the period at the end and inserting “; or”; and
(C) by inserting after paragraph (7) the following:
“(8) knowingly distributes, offers, sends, or provides, in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, a threat to distribute—
“(A) a visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct, or
“(B) a visual depiction of a person the defendant believes is a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct, with the intent that the minor, or the person the defendant believes is a minor, create or transmit a visual depiction of any minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct,”; and
(2) in subsection (b), by striking “or (6)” and inserting
“(6), or (8)”.
(b) Material Constituting or Containing Child Pornography.—Section 2252 of title 18, United States Code, is amended—
(1) in subsection (a)—
(A) in paragraph (3)(B)(ii), by striking “or” at the end;
(B) in paragraph (4)(B)(ii), by inserting “or” after the semicolon; and
(C) by inserting after paragraph (4) the following:
“(5) knowingly distributes, offers, sends, or provides, in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, a threat to distribute—
“(A) a visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct, or
“(B) a visual depiction of a person the defendant believes is a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct, with the intent that the minor, or the person the defendant believes is a minor, create or transmit a visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct,”;
(2) in subsection (b)(2), by inserting “or (5)” after “paragraph (4)”; and
(3) in subsection (c), in the matter preceding paragraph
(1), by inserting “or (5)” after “paragraph (4)”. <all>
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