Statutes: Northern Mariana Islands

(a) A person commits theft if he or she purposely obtains property of another by threatening to:

(1) Inflict bodily injury on anyone or commit any other criminal offense; or

(2) Accuse anyone of a criminal offense; or

(3) Expose any secret tending to subject any person to hatred, contempt or ridicule, or to impair his or her credit or business repute; or

(4) Take or withhold action as an official, or cause an official to take or withhold action; or

(5) Testify or provide information or withhold testimony or information with respect to another’s legal claim or defense.

(b) It is an affirmative defense to prosecution based on subsections (a)(2), (a)(3) or (a)(4) of this section that the property obtained by threat of accusation, exposure, lawsuit or other invocation of official action was honestly claimed as restitution or indemnification for harm done in the circumstances to which the accusation, exposure, lawsuit, or other official action relates, or as compensation for property or lawful services.