Tell you what, call up a local law enforcement officer and ask for $10,000. When they say no, tell them you know where they live. See if that is considered a threat by the courts.
Well yeah obviously that's going to be considered a threat. But is that what we're talking about here? No. That would be the equivalent of contacting eBay and asking for money, then implying you "wouldn't want the source to fall into the wrong hands".
