WESTON (WLUK) — A bill signed Monday by Governor Tony Evers creates a new crime of sexual extortion in Wisconsin.
It’s named “Bradyn’s Law” after 15-year-old Bradyn Bohn, who committed suicide in March after becoming a victim of sextortion. His family advocated for the legislation to penalize sextortion perpetrators.
Bohn was a student at D.C. Everest Junior High School when he took his life. Evers signed his bill into law in a ceremony in Weston, surrounded by Bohn’s family, friends and loved ones, as well as community members, school district personnel and elected officials.
“As a parent and grandparent, I cannot imagine what Bradyn’s parents, family and friends have gone through in the wake of his death. No one should ever have to go through this kind of heartbreak. Today is an important day to remember Bradyn as we honor him and his memory, because now, moving forward, we will be able to hold bad actors responsible for reprehensible behavior, especially when they prey on our kids, and that is so important,” said Evers.
In addition to creating a new crime of sexual extortion with graduated penalties on offenses depending on the actor, the act, the victim’s actions or the victim’s age, Bradyn’s Law also modifies and expands the crime victim compensation program, administered by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, to add death by suicide or attempted suicide to the list of acts that may be compensated.
Sextortion occurs when an offender coerces a victim to create and/or send sexually explicit images or videos of themself and uses that material to extort the victim by threatening to release it. These crimes sometimes lead to self-harm or suicide.
Since 2022, at least three teenage boys in our area have died by suicide after falling victim to sextortion scams: 17-year-old Jordan DeMay from Marquette, Michigan, in 2022; 17-year-old Landen Weigelt of Oconto in 2023; and Bohn in 2025.
