Sex Crimes Against Children

Sometimes these cases can get complicated and murky, but obviously, common sense approach usually prevails and what the prosecutors have to prove is, number one, that there is a child involved with some sort of a sex crime. Also, that sex crime is being perpetrated against the child by the defendant, and the sex crimes for child molestation which I…Read More

Obviously, the worst thing that could happen is you can end up serving a prison sentence.  Nobody wants to go to prison, especially being labeled as a person who has committed a sex crime. That makes it dangerous for the person.  That's probably the worst thing that could happen related to a statutory rape charge in Los Angeles. Also, the…Read More

Child molestation cases are probably among the most serious cases filed by Los Angeles prosecutors and most times they're trying to seek prison for those individuals who get themselves arrested and prosecuted for these type of sex crimes. As far as how long in prison it will depend on a number of different factors because each case will have unique…Read More

The law in California implements harsh penalties regarding sexting with minors. Depending on the situation, the local authorities may hand over the case to the federal government if the crime is severe or involves a minor from a different country. If the crime happened across state lines or another state, the authorities would send the case to the state that…Read More

We get a lot of calls from people asking whether or not they can have consentual sex or engage in some sort of physical sexual activity with somebody under the age of 18 if that person agrees, and of course, in California the answer is no. So, if you touch anybody in a sexual way or have sex with somebody…Read More

This is a very serious crime under California Penal Code Section 288.5(a) - probably one of the most serious sex crime offenses and it carries with it fifteen for life.  I've been doing a lot of these cases in downtown Los Angeles where people are actually looking at fifteen to life.  The prosecutors have really taken a much different turn…Read More

 This is controlled by CALCRIM 1071 jury instructions.  It basically just describes what the elements are in order to convict a person for this crime.  It's typically prosecuted under California Penal Code Section 261.5(a) through (c). The bottom line is, one of the biggest defenses to this is that the defendant has to reasonably know that the person is…Read More

Elements of the Crime - California Penal Code Section 288(b)(1) When it comes to these crimes against children -- sex-related offenses in Los Angeles county -- prosecutors have certain elements of the crime that they have to prove in order to convict somebody of one of these cases. Obviously, you want to know what the elements are, especially if you…Read More

It is a federal crime to distribute obscene material to a minor.  More and more I'm seeing the federal government monitoring this type of activity and making sure that young people are protected from the transfer of obscene material through electronic means and otherwise.  The federal government has task forces that are monitoring the internet and social media in order…Read More

18 U.S.C. 2252 - Certain activities relating to material constituting or containing child pornography Under federal law, child pornography is defined as any “visual depiction” of a minor engaging in “sexually explicit conduct.” A visual depiction could be a picture, video or digital image. By law, a minor is anyone under 18 years old. “Sexually explicit conduct” includes various forms…Read More