SEX CRIMES ATTORNEY LOS ANGELES

Los Angeles Sex Crimes Attorney

Sex crimes are some of the most aggressively prosecuted – and severely punished – crimes in Los Angeles, and these types of offenses are taken very seriously by California judges and prosecutors alike. Sadly, the criminal justice system is full of people falsely accused of sex crimes like indecent exposure and rape, and without the help of an experienced criminal defense attorney, these people can end up suffering life-changing punishments, possibly including life in prison. Not only do most Los Angeles sex crime convictions carry lengthy prison sentences, being found guilty of these types of offenses can also have catastrophic consequences for the defendant’s family and future, possibly resulting in ruined personal and professional relationships and a loss of important civil rights. If you have been charged with a sex crime in Los Angeles, contact our knowledgeable defense team at Criminal Defense Attorney Los Angeles today. With our attorneys on your side, you can ensure that your legal rights are protected and significantly improve your chances of reaching a favorable outcome in your criminal case. Help for federal sex crimes charges.

Affordable Sex Crimes Defense Attorney in Los Angeles

The unfortunate fact regarding California sex crimes charges is that, whether they admit it or not, everyone else already thinks you are guilty of the crime before the case even starts, simply because of the sexual nature of the charges pending against you. Our lawyers at Criminal Defense Attorney Los Angeles understand that, when you are facing charges of rape, prostitution, indecent exposure or another serious sex crime, your freedom and your future are on the line, and we will exhaust every resource at our disposal to build a strong defense in your case, including conducting a thorough investigation of the arrest and subsequent charges, interviewing potential witnesses, and running a background check on your accuser, in order to expose and take advantage of any weaknesses in the prosecution’s case. We can negotiate with the prosecution to work out a plea deal or reach an agreement on sentencing that helps you avoid jail time or the sex offender registration requirement that typically accompanies sex crimes convictions. Whatever the circumstances of your case, our lawyers will aggressively defend you every step of the way.

Sex Crimes

Under California law, “sex crimes” is a broad term referring to any criminal offense that is sexual in nature, including everything from statutory rape to grabbing your genitals in public with the intent to offend another person. Sex crimes can be charged as misdemeanor or felony offenses, but the majority of these crimes are felonies, and this means you could end up with a felony conviction on your permanent record. Our attorneys at Criminal Defense Attorney Los Angeles have experience defending clients against all types of California sex crimes charges, including:

• Child pornography (California Penal Code § 311 PC) – Possessing, producing, distributing, selling or transporting pornographic materials depicting minors engaging in or simulating sexual acts
• Indecent exposure (California Penal Code § 314 PC) – Intentionally exposing one’s genitals in public with the intent to offend or annoy another person
• Pimping (California Penal Code § 266h PC) – Knowingly receiving compensation or financial support from money earned through prostitution
• Pandering (California Penal Code § 266i PC) – Facilitating or provisioning a prostitute in the arrangement of a sex act with a customer
• Prostitution (California Penal Code § 647(b) PC) – The practice of engaging in sexual activity with another person for payment
• Rape (California Penal Code § 261 PC)– Sexual penetration carried out against the other person’s will
• Sexual battery (California Penal Code § 243.4 PC) – Nonconsensual touching of another person’s intimate parts
• Soliciting a prostitute (California Penal Code § 647(b) PC) – Offering or accepting money or other compensation for sex
• Spousal rape (California Penal Code § 262 PC) – A rape of a person who is the spouse of the perpetrator
• Statutory rape (California Penal Code § 261.5 PC) – Rape of a minor under the age of 18

Conviction for California Sex Crimes

Just because you have been accused of and arrested for a sex crime like rape, pimping and pandering, or sexual battery, does not mean you will automatically be found guilty and convicted of the crime. The burden of proof in these cases lies with the prosecution, which means the California prosecutor assigned to your case will be required to prove beyond a reasonable doubt each element of the crime. For instance, if you are accused of committing rape, the other side will have to establish certain facts in order to find you guilty of the crime, including that:

• You engaged in sexual intercourse with the other person;
• You and the other person were not married at the time of the encounter;
• The intercourse was against the will of the other person; and
• The intercourse was accomplished using force, fear, duress, menace or fraud.

Penalties for a Sex Crimes Conviction

Sex crimes in California are typically punished more severely than any other criminal offense, except maybe murder, and because these crimes typically involve just two people, they often end up being a “he said, she said” situation, unless there is irrefutable evidence that the crime occurred. If this is the case, the person doing the accusing is the person the police are most likely going to believe, not the person who allegedly committed the crime. Whatever the circumstances of your alleged criminal offense, most felony sex crimes carry lengthy prison sentences and some defendants convicted of sex crimes are sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole if their crime is particularly grievous. Most felony sex crimes also count as a “strike” under California’s “Three Strikes” sentencing law, which imposes significantly longer prison sentences on certain repeat offenders convicted of serious or violent felonies, such as rape, lewd or lascivious acts involving a minor, forcible sodomy or oral copulation, and assault with intent to commit rape or robbery.

In addition to a significant prison sentence and hefty fines, a sex crimes conviction almost always results in mandatory lifetime sex offender registration, which means, if you are convicted or rape, indecent exposure or another felony sex crime, you could be required to check in with local law enforcement every year for the rest of your life. Being registered as a sex offender also means you will be restricted in your ability to live and work in certain areas, and you could lose your job and professional licenses, and be banned from working in certain fields or owning or possessing a firearm.

Defenses to Sex Crimes Charges

Facing charges for a serious sex crime in California may seem like the end of the world, but it is important to remember that if you are accused of a criminal offense, it is your right to assert any legal defense that can help explain, excuse or justify your behavior. Our lawyers at Criminal Defense Attorney Los Angeles understand what defense strategies are most successful in Los Angeles sex crimes cases and will do everything in their power to develop an effective defense against the sex crimes charges. Some helpful defenses to assert in a California rape crimes case may include:

• You were falsely accused
• You are the victim of mistaken identity
• The prosecution’s evidence is insufficient
• The sex was consensual
• No sexual contact occurred
• You honestly and reasonably believed that the alleged victim consented

Although some sex crimes occur because one or both people had too much to drink, being too intoxicated to know what you were doing is not a valid defense in a California sex crimes case if the intoxication was voluntary. If you were “involuntary intoxicated” at the time the offense occurred, meaning your drink was spiked or you were otherwise drugged without your knowledge or consent, this defense may apply to your case.

Hiring an Experienced Sex Crimes Defense Attorney in Los Angeles

There is no turning back from a sex crimes conviction in California. Even after the criminal penalties associated with the offense have been served, you will still have a felony on your criminal record for the rest of your life, not to mention other serious legal consequences, and the stigma of the sex crimes conviction will follow you for the rest of your life, even if you are innocent of the crime. Sex crimes are serious criminal offenses, and California law requires that all sex crime allegations are investigated, and rightfully so. However, some people are mistaken in making such accusations and some people flat out lie, either to shift the blame from themselves or to get revenge on the other person. If you or a loved one has been arrested for a sex crime in Los Angeles, do not wait until formal charges have been filed to contact a sex crimes defense lawyer. California sex crimes accusations demand early intervention and aggressive investigation, and our legal team is capable of both. Contact Criminal Defense Attorney Los Angeles today at (213) 205-3100 to discuss with a resourceful and aggressive sex crimes lawyer the best defense strategy to fight the charges against you.