I'm confused. Someone who makes an ACTUAL credible threat against someone typically just goes in a police file. Someone who makes a threat - not even to slander, but to investigate and expose - is committing a crime?

If I say, "Jim is a dirtbag, I'm going to expose him and his whole dirty family," what have I done? It sounds like I'm just an investigative journalist with delusions of being good at my job and who probably has a personal grievance with Jim.

I happen to not be a fan of the individual in this case, but it's important to be realistic about the whole business of threats against reputation.