Being accused of a sex crime can potentially have more serious consequences than being accused of any other type of crime. It may be harder to convince people of your innocence in simply being charged, let alone being convicted. This can lead to you losing your job, as well as complications in your personal relationships.
This is why, if you’re being accused of a sex crime, you need an experienced sex crimes lawyer in Santa Clarita advocating for your side. More importantly, you need an experienced counsel to help you clear your name and get back to normal.
At the Simmrin Law Group, our lawyers provides legal defense for the following sex crimes:
- Child Molestation
- Child Pornography
- Child Sexual Abuse
- Date Rape
- Failure to Register as a Sex Offender
- Human Trafficking
- Indecent Exposure
- Lewd Conduct
- Prostitution
- Rape
- Seduce or Solicit a Minor
- Sexual Abuse
- Sexual Battery
- Sexual Misconduct
- Solicitation of a Prostitute
- Statutory Rape
- Traveling to Meet a Minor
- Unlawful Sexual Activity with a Minor
Lewd Conduct
In the state of California, lewd conduct can refer to any of the following:
- Touching your genitals (including a woman’s breasts) in public.
- Touching another person’s genitals in public.
- Asking or encouraging someone to touch your genitals, or to let you touch theirs, in public.
It must be noted that such touching, or request for touching, must be for the purpose of sexual gratification or with the intent to offend someone else. Also important is that genitals do not have to be visible for you to be charged with lewd conduct. Touching yourself or someone else over the clothes can still result in a lewd conduct charge.
When the genitals are visible for the purposes of sexual gratification or to offend someone sexually, this is considered indecent exposure and can carry heavier penalties. Note that neither the act of breastfeeding nor mooning can be prosecuted as indecent exposure because neither act fits into the previously mentioned categories.
Lewd conduct carries penalties of up to six months in jail and fines of up to $1,000. You may also be ordered to go to counseling, take an HIV test, and/or stay away from the location where the incident occurred. You do not need to register as a sex offender if you are convicted of lewd conduct, but the charge will be visible on your public record.
For a free legal consultation with a lawyer serving Santa Clarita, call (310) 896-2723
Serious Sex Crimes
While no sex crimes are to be taken lightly, federal sex charges must be approached with particular aggression. Federal sex crimes are those that are either considered to be federal offenses or that involve the crossing of state lines. Particularly, child pornography, child molestation, lewd conduct, and sexual battery are all crimes that can be classified as federal offenses. This can especially pertain to child pornography, as it is not only a crime to create it, but also to own it, receive it, or distribute it.
It is also a federal offense for sex offenders to knowingly fail to register as a sex offender as directed, or to fail to update an existing registration. Sex offenders who do not register as directed may not only be subjected to significant fines, but they can also be penalized with up to 10 years in jail.
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Statutory Rape
In the state of California, the legal age of consent is 18 years old. This means that an adult who has sex with a person under the age of 18, and who is not his or her spouse, can be convicted of unlawful sexual intercourse (statutory rape). Also in the state of California, a minor can be convicted of unlawful sexual conduct, depending on his or her age and the age of the victim.
The California Penal Code outlines different penalties for statutory rape, depending on the circumstances. For instance, sexual intercourse with a minor under the age of 18 is charged as a misdemeanor if the alleged perpetrator is not more than three years older than the victim.
People are falsely charged with sex crimes every day in the United States. Such a sex charge is no joke and can ruin your life. The experienced sex crimes lawyers at the Simmrin Law Group have decades of experience helping clients fight charges like these, and we can help you too.
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Sexual Assault
Sexual assault is a broader term that can refer to a number of different sex crimes, including:
- Being physically forced into performing a sexual act.
- Threatening violence so as to coerce someone into performing a sexual act.
- Blackmailing someone into performing a sexual act.
- Drugging someone for the purpose of engaging in a sexual act with him or her.
- Taking advantage of someone when they are unable to give consent, such as when they are intoxicated, asleep, etc.
All of these acts constitute a form of rape in Santa Clarita. It is important to note that you do not need to have traditional sexual intercourse with someone in order to be accused of rape. Oral sex and other sex acts can also be considered rape if they are performed under the circumstances outlined above.
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Solicitation of a Prostitute
Prostitution is more common than you may think, and it may be difficult to tell whether a person is a prostitute or not. Solicitation of a prostitute is a criminal offense in Santa Clarita. You can be charged with solicitation if you have engaged in any of the following:
- Offered a person money for a sex act, including watching them perform a sex act without involving you directly
- Agreed to the above, despite not being the one to actively pursue it
- Made an agreement like that mentioned above, only instead of offering money in exchange for a sexual favor, some other sort of goods or service was promised (e.g. drugs, forgoing a rent payment, etc.)
In order for the prosecution to convict you on a prostitution charge, it must be shown that you knowingly meant to engage in prostitution with the other person. You cannot be convicted if you did not realize the other person was a prostitute.
Since those charged with solicitation are often scorned by the public and their peers, it is vital to secure experienced legal counsel as soon as possible to help you control the narrative.
Charged with a Sex Crime? Call Simmrin ASAP!
If you’ve been accused of a sex crime and you’re not sure where to turn, our Santa Clarita criminal defense team can help. Call (310) 997-4688 today for a FREE consultation, or fill out our contact form. We are not here to judge you, only to help, and we will answer your questions with no obligation to retain.
Call or text (310) 896-2723 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form