Many people feel unsure about what qualifies as soliciting prostitution; you can review these 15 examples of soliciting a prostitute to better understand this criminal charge in California.
You can get additional information about this charge from a Los Angeles solicitation of a prostitute defense lawyer.
What Are Some Examples of Soliciting a Prostitute?
There are many ways that people approach trading money or goods for sex. Often, it happens face to face. Here are 15 examples of soliciting a prostitute, each focusing on a different aspect of the charge of solicitation.
1: Street Corner Solicitation
Street corner solicitation occurs when someone rolls up to a street corner frequented by sex workers and attempts to negotiate a price for the sexual services they want to purchase. This action can result in solicitation of prostitution charges.
2: Offering Sexual Favors in Exchange for Other Favors
You can face criminal charges and months in jail if you offer sexual favors in exchange for other favors. A landlord asking for oral sex in exchange for accepting a late rent payment represents an example of this method of soliciting prostitution.
3: Offering Drugs for Sex
Law enforcement treats trading drugs for sex as a crime. By offering to provide drugs if the other party engages in sexual activities, the person with the drugs is soliciting prostitution and could face sex crime charges.
4: Offering Job Benefits for Sex
Employers who offer promotions, better shifts, or wages for sex are committing a crime. While this can be grounds for much steeper penalties than solicitation, it is, indeed, a form of solicitation. You can learn more about it from a Los Angeles sex crimes lawyer.
5: Requesting Sex for Money in a Bar or Club
Individuals can face criminal charges if the police accuse them of asking them for sexual activities in exchange for money while in a club or a bar. A Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer can provide more information about this charge.
6: Exchanging Services for Sex
The police may accuse someone of solicitation if the person tries to exchange services for sex. For example, a mechanic who offers to fix a car that one of their clients cannot afford to repair for a particular sex act could face charges.
7: Visiting a House of “Ill Repute”
Individuals may engage in soliciting prostitution if they visit a house of “ill repute” or a house where sex acts are for purchase. You can contact a criminal defense law firm for help if the police accuse you of taking this action.
8: Doing a Favor for a Friend
In some cases, individuals can get into trouble if they try to buy the services of a prostitute for a friend. For example, if two people walk down the street and one approaches a prostitute and offers her money to service the other person, this could result in criminal charges.
9: Negotiating with a Pimp or Madam
The police can charge you with soliciting a prostitute if you negotiate with a pimp or madam, even if the prostitute is not involved or around. You cannot legally purchase sex as a service in California. A criminal defense attorney can tell you more about these charges.
10: Visiting Some Massage Parlors
Massage parlors that offer a “happy ending” are places where one can find themselves in a nasty legal situation. You should avoid these establishments to avoid a solicitation conviction.
11. Soliciting Sex Via Text Messages
If a person is texting with another person who they know and offers a service like hanging their ceiling fan for sexual favors, this is called solicitation. A lawyer can discuss potential defenses if the police accuse you of soliciting sexual favors over text.
12. Soliciting Sex Through a Website
People often frequent websites offering prostitution. Attempting to purchase sex over the Internet can result in a conviction for solicitation.
13: Hiring an Escort Service
Escort services are probably the simplest way to solicit sexual acts. Individuals who hire an escort service can face the same charges and penalties for solicitation as individuals who hire prostitutes who work on the street.
14: Placing a Personal Ads
Personal ads such as those placed on Craig’s List are frequent ways that the services of a sex worker are purchased. Attempting to buy sex via a personal ad can result in a solicitation charge.
15: Soliciting Sex in a Chatroom
Chatrooms are not something most people think about anymore. But solicitation of prostitution can occur in this kind of online space as well.
You can contact a lawyer to learn more about these 15 examples of solicitation of a prostitute. Remember, any of these acts can result in California Penal Code 647 charges.
For a free legal consultation, call (310) 896-2723
What Is Solicitation?
According to 653f Penal Code California, asking, urging, or demanding a person to commit certain crimes is illegal. You cannot recruit or entice them to commit an unlawful act, which could be anything from burglary to carjacking.
Soliciting a prostitute means offering, urging, or demanding someone to perform a sex act. If the procuring goes through another person, it is still soliciting a prostitute, as in the case of a pimp or madam, as we discussed in the 15 examples of soliciting a prostitute we listed above.
Being charged with soliciting a prostitute means more than just possible jail time or a hefty fine. If the police accuse you of trying to solicit a prostitute, it can tear your relationships apart and devastate your reputation.
What Acts Are Considered Illegal?
It is illegal to trade sexual acts for valuables. As defined by Simpson University, a sex act is:
- Sexual contact between two or more people with penetration of the penis into the vagina or anus
- When one person’s genitalia comes in contact with another person’s genitalia or anus
- Contact between artificial sexual organs or substitutes and the genitalia or anus of another individual.
Sexual touching refers to any contact with breasts, buttocks, groin, or genitals. Individuals can face charges for touching another with these body parts or making someone else touch you or themselves with these body parts with the intent to arouse or satisfy sexual desires.
Illegal Actions That Can Result in Solicitation Charges
It is illegal to verbally ask someone to engage in sex with you for valuables. Asking, urging, or enticing someone into sexual activity is a crime.
None of the parties involved have to consummate the deal for there to be a crime. Additionally, any sort of gesture that both parties understand as asking for sex for cash qualifies as a solicitation of a prostitute.
You Can Face Solicitation Charges for Online Activity
Asking for sex online can also qualify as solicitation. If one asks for sex in exchange for money or something else, it falls under the umbrella of soliciting a prostitute. An ad placed on particular websites or messaging someone online could result in charges.
When an attempt to agree on sex in exchange for money, goods, or services, solicitation occurs. And that is considered a crime, not the completion of the act.
Learn More About Solicitation with Our Legal Team
You can face harsh legal penalties if a police officer accuses you of soliciting a person for prostitution. Fortunately, you can get professional legal help handling these charges from our team at the Simmrin Law Group.
We can immediately develop a legal defense designed to meet your specific needs. We can also provide more information about the above 15 examples of soliciting a prostitute. We take misdemeanor and felony charges seriously and can discuss your next steps today.
We can explain the types of sex crimes and help you determine how to talk to your lawyer about sex crimes. You can call or complete our online contact form for a confidential consultation about your legal options.
Call or text (310) 896-2723 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form