Office of Governor Tony Evers *FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:* December 8, 2025 Contact: [email protected]   

*Gov. Evers Signs Bipartisan “Bradyn’s Law” to Create New Crime for Extortion*

  WESTON — Gov. Tony Evers today signed “Bradyn’s Law,” Assembly Bill 201, now 2025 Wisconsin Act 48, creating a new crime of sexual extortion in Wisconsin. Gov. Evers signed the bill in honor of late D.C. Everest Junior High School student Bradyn Bohn, whose tragic death by suicide inspired his family to advocate for passing “Bradyn’s Law” to help penalize sexual extortion perpetrators. Gov. Evers signed the “Bradyn’s Law” into Wisconsin state law today at a ceremony in Weston, Wisconsin, surrounded by Bradyn’s family, friends, and loved ones, as well as community members, school district personnel, and elected officials. 

“Bradyn’s Law” was introduced in response to the tragic passing of Bradyn Bohn, a 15-year-old student from the Wausau Area who took his own life earlier this year as a result of a sexual extortion, or “sextortion,” scheme. In addition to creating a new crime of sexual extortion with graduated penalties, 2025 Wisconsin Act 48, signed by the governor today, also modifies and expands the crime victim compensation program, which is administered by the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ), to add death by suicide or attempted suicide to the list of acts that may be compensated.

“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 Gov. Evers. “We wouldn’t be here today without Bradyn’s family and their relentless advocacy to keep kids safe online and hold predators accountable. We will be able to protect more of Wisconsin’s kids because of Bradyn’s family’s efforts to fight back, and I’m honored to be able to be here with them today.”

“Bradyn’s Law ensures harsh penalties for those who exploit Wisconsin children online. We thank Gov. Evers, legislators, and their staff for their transparency and support in passing this critical legislation,” said Brittney and Luke Bird, parents of Bradyn Bohn. “We are deeply grateful to our friends, family, community, and the D.C. Everest School District for standing by us as we fight for change while grieving. Our mission continues: to educate families and protect children from online predators.”

As defined by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), “sextortion [ [link removed] ]” is a term used to describe a crime in which an offender coerces a minor to create and send sexually explicit images or video and then uses that material to extort the victim by threatening to release it. In the six-month period from October 2022 to March 2023, the FBI observed an increase in reporting of financially motivated sextortion incidents involving minor victims compared to the same period the previous year of greater than 20 percent. 

These crimes can lead victims to self-harm and have led to suicide. From October 2021 to March 2023, the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations received over 13,000 reports of online financial sextortion of minors. The sextortion involved at least 12,600 victims—primarily boys—and led to at least 20 suicides.

In the wake of this tragedy, the DOJ’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force shared resources [ [link removed] ] for online safety with tips for talking to kids about safe online practices. The task force notes that in 2024, the task force received 237 cybertips related to sextortion, up from 176 in 2023.  

Furthermore, as of the release of the DOJ’s suggested resources for kids and families in March, the task force had received 103 cybertips related to sextortion, reflecting the national trend of a dramatic increase in online enticement, which is a broad category that includes sextortion cases, being reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline [ [link removed] ], the nation’s centralized reporting system for the online exploitation of children.  

In addition to DOJ’s resources for online safety, if anyone has information on potential child exploitation in Wisconsin, reports can be made through Speak Up, Speak Out (SUSO), a 24/7 statewide confidential reporting system run by DOJ’s Office of School Safety. Reports can be made by: 
* Dialing 1-800-MY-SUSO-1 
* Texting “SUSO” to 738477 
* Visiting their website at [link removed]  

Additionally, if you or someone you know is in imminent danger or experiencing a medical emergency, call 911. If you are having thoughts of suicide or hurting yourself, call your county’s crisis line [ [link removed] ] or 9-8-8 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.  

Anyone in need of support can call, text, or chat the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline [ [link removed] ] at all hours of the day or night to talk with a trained counselor about any challenge or concern. This service is free and confidential. Additional mental health resources are available on the Wisconsin Department of Health Services’ website at:     


* Mental Health: Healthy Living [ [link removed] ]    
* Resilient Wisconsin [ [link removed] ]

Assembly Bill 201 [ [link removed] ], now 2025 Wisconsin Act 48:  


* Creates a new crime of sexual extortion;  
* Includes graduated penalties on offenses depending on the actor, the act, the victim’s actions, or the victim’s age; and 
* Modifies and expands the crime victim compensation program, including by adding a victim’s suicide or attempted suicide to the list of acts that may be compensated by DOJ.
  An online version of this release is available here [ [link removed] ]. ###

Gold Horizontal Line Office of the Governor • 115 East Capitol, Madison, WI 53702 Press Office Email: [email protected] https:evers [ [link removed] ] [link removed] [link removed] Unsubscribe [ [link removed] ]
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