Sexual solicitation of children over the Internet occurs frequently and leads to numerous arrests around the US.
Just recently, for example, a California man was charged with sexual solicitation of a 15-year-old girl in Maryland; according to news reports, he's currently being held in custody in California but will be extradited to Maryland, where he had allegedly made plans to meet the girl and book a hotel room where he could have sex with her. These arrangements came after two years of online contact with her, in which he allegedly solicited and obtained sexually explicit photographs and videos of her.
If you're charged with this type of crime, you can face a variety of penalties, including prison time, fines and registration as a sex offender for life; the severity of the penalties depend on how far the activities went and if the solicitation occurred across state lines. There may also be concurrent charges, for instance if you actually met with the minor in person and engaged in a sexual act.
When facing charges of Internet solicitation of a minor, it's important to contact a reputable criminal attorney for your defense. Sometimes, people get charged with this crime even though they did not intend to perpetrate it. For example, they may not have realized that the person they were communicating with online was a minor; the minor may have claimed to be older. Other times, law enforcement officers organize stings where they pose as minors online. Sometimes these law enforcement activities entrap the alleged criminals, which may lead to charges being dropped or reduced in severity.
With an attorney on your side to defend you in court and negotiate with a prosecutor on your behalf, you have a greater chance of obtaining a fair outcome of your case. The stakes are high. You don't want any sex offense to appear on your record. As such, if you live in or around Temecula, Lake Elsinore, Murrieta, Hemet, Wildomar, Menifee, Perris, Banning, Corona, Winchester or Riverside, be sure to contact us to serve as your legal advocates. We have many years of experience in handling such charges and we can help!