CDMX Congress Unanimously Approves Anti-Extortion Reforms, Creates 'Coercive Harassment' Offense

The Congreso CDMX unanimously approved a legislative package proposed by Jefa de Gobierno Clara Brugada on August 15 to strengthen the fight against extortion. The reforms create a new offense of 'hostigamiento coercitivo' (coercive harassment), penalizing the use of illicit means, physical or moral violence, harassment, or intimidation to collect a debt, with sentences of 10 to 15 years and fines of 2,000 to 3,000 UMA. The package also raises penalties for various extortion modalities, adds an aggravating factor for recidivism tied to 'montachoques' staged-collision scams, and targets extortion and identity theft carried out with the aid of artificial intelligence. It followed the CDMX Congress's separate approval, on August 15, of a proposed reform to Article 73 of the federal Constitution empowering Congress to legislate a general extortion law nationwide.