State v. Braun

Leben, J.:

Conrad Braun appeals his blackmail conviction, claiming that the evidence was insufficient to convict him of blackmailing his ex-wife’s husband. At the time Braun was charged, blackmail was defined by statute as “compelling another to act against such person’s will.” Braun notes that the alleged victim, Tucker Kirk, didn’t actually take any action that Braun asked Kirk to take — neither refraining from contact with Braun’s children nor signing a contract Braun had prepared — in the communications that led to the blackmail charge.

Braun’s point is well taken. The statute defined…