Practice Areas
Melbourne, FL Sex Crimes Attorney
When facing charges for a sex-related crime, the legal and personal impact can be life-altering, regardless of the outcome of your case. The stigma associated with it can be even more damaging, leading to job loss, estrangement from friends and family, and even divorce. If you have been charged with a sex crime it is important that you contact an experienced Melbourne sex crimes lawyer immediately.
The area of law governing sex crimes can be complex and involves many different offenses with laws requiring interpretation from an experienced attorney. For this reason and many others, it is vital that those facing sex crime charges acquire legal representation from a lawyer capable of handling sex crimes cases. I have experience defending clients charged with:
- Capital Sexual Battery
- Sexual Battery
- Indecent Exposure
- Lewd or Lascivious Exhibition
- Possession of Child Pornography
- Transmission of Child Pornography
- Teacher Sex Crimes
- Video Voyeurism
- Lewd Battery
- Lewd Conduct
- Failure to Register as a Sex Offender
- Internet Sex Crimes
- Transmission of Harmful Material to Minors
- Traveling to Meet a Minor
- Failure of a Sex Offender to Properly Register
- Use of a Computer to Seduce a Child
- Use of a Computer to Seduce a Parent
- Lewd Molestation
- Luring or Enticing a Child
Penalties for Florida Sex Crimes
The penalties for a conviction of any of these offenses vary depending on the severity of the crime and the individual’s criminal history, but if you have been charged with a sex offense you are likely facing a significant amount of prison time. That is why it is imperative that you have an attorney who has experience in this area of the law and who can protect your interests throughout the entire legal process.
Although there are different consequences depending on the specific crime you are charged with, there are a few penalties that are applied to all qualifying sex offenses in Florida.
- Sex Offender Registration: If you are convicted of a sexually-related felony in Florida you have to register with the state and the National Sexual Offender Registry. You will be required to register in any state you live in. This requirement is for the rest of your life!
- Imprisonment: Though it varies depending on the crime, if you are charged with a sex offense in Florida, you are likely facing prison time.
- Civil Commitment Proceedings: If you have been convicted of a sex-related felony, the State Attorney may seek to have the offender admitted to a commitment facility after the completion of their criminal sentence.
- Probation: Once a person who has been convicted of a sex crime is released from prison, they will be put on Sex Offender Probation. This probation regulates where you can live, work, imposes a curfew and, requires sexual offender counseling.
Sex Crimes Defense Strategies
Defending someone charged with a sex-related crime is much more difficult than other criminal charges. That is due not only to the social stigma the surrounds these types of charges, but because sex crimes typically have specialized detectives and sex crimes prosecutors generally have much more experience than most.
There are several types of defense strategies that may be effective in your case, including:
- False Charges: Sometimes people bring false charges of sexual assault to cover up consensual sex if it would be damaging to the person’s reputation.
- Illegal Search and Seizure: It is important to determine whether the state’s evidence was obtained lawfully or whether the government obtained evidence by violating your constitutional rights. If photos, computer files, or other materials were confiscated from you, and the search and seizure by the police violated the law, the evidence they obtained can be suppressed and kept out at trial.
- Entrapment: Were you entrapped to commit a crime you would not normally have committed? If so, charges can be dismissed.
- Computer Hacking: Did someone hack into your computer and download images that you would never have downloaded yourself? If so, you have a defense.
If you have been charged with a sex offense , you need legal representation. You may only have one chance to put together a meaningful legal defense and that is why it is important to hire an experienced Melbourne sex crimes attorney immediately. I can provide you with a free case evaluation so we can go over all of your options.