Legal Question in Criminal Law in New York

is it legal to tell somebody they are being investigated by the fbi if they are

Let's say a media watchdog group publishes a critique about a television station. That station's news director sends the watchdog a letter saying he is suing them for slander and hate crimes and defamation and that the FBI is conducting an ''active investigation'' of the group. Is this illegal ~ blackmail or extortion ~ if the FBI is not in fact investigating?


Asked on 12/15/03, 1:47 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Andrew Nitzberg Andrew Nitzberg & Associates

Re: is it legal to tell somebody they are being investigated by the fbi if they

No. This is not illegal. it is immature, but this is a free country.

Be careful with these threats. the government is becoming much more strict on these things. I have a very tragic case wherein a man who was indicted for a crime in a situation where he should have been offered grief counseling for the loss of his long-time partner.

He wrote letters denouncing the US foreign policy for subsidizing the murder of children. This is an extreeme case, but it actually happened.

(he is my client and the charges will be dismissed at the end of 6 months, no jail time and no criminal record). But he did not enjoy the ordeal.

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Answered on 12/16/03, 1:21 pm


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