Silver Spring Online Solicitation of a Minor Attorneys

Online Solicitation Attorney Assisting Defendants in Silver Spring, MD

Online solicitation of a minor is a serious sex crime in Maryland. This offense is taken so seriously because it is seen as a precursor to having sexual contact with a child. Soliciting a minor online can even be seen as an attempt to have sexual contact with an underage person. If you are convicted, you will have to register as a sex offender. Being a registered sex offender will limit your life in many ways. You would face restrictions that can impact your quality of life, and you would likely struggle to get anyone to hire you or rent to you. This is all after you have served time in prison.

If you are charged with online solicitation of a minor, finding an experienced child sex crimes lawyer to represent you is critical. The Law Offices of Gerstenfield & Demirji, PC. has years of experience providing the best possible criminal defense services to people who are facing prosecution for sex offenses. We are committed to protecting the rights of all criminal defendants regardless of the offense they have been accused of.

Understanding Online Solicitation of a Minor Charges

Soliciting a minor means encouraging or enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity. Online solicitation can be committed without ever leaving your home or making a genuine attempt to meet with the minor involved. In many cases, there is no actual child involved. Rather, the defendant has been chatting with an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a teenager or younger child. It matters only whether the defendant believed he was talking to a minor.

Some defendants are arrested when they arrive somewhere to meet a minor, while others are arrested at home. Even sending sexually explicit material to a child, having an explicitly sexual conversation with a minor, or encouraging the minor to create images or videos that could be considered child pornography can fall under the definition of solicitation of a minor.

Possible Defenses Against Online Solicitation of a Child Charges

Merely being accused of this offense can cause a lot of problems in your life. However, the situation is not hopeless. If you have a reasonable legal defense, we may be able to fight to have you found not guilty at trial or even have your charges dismissed. Possible defenses include:

• Entrapment - If the police officer posing as a minor approached you and enticed you into engaging in sexual conversation or sent you unsolicited images to lure you into this type of communication, you may have an entrapment defense.
• Lack of knowledge about the victim's status as a minor - In some cases, the defendant reasonably believed that he was talking to an adult. The minor may have lied about her age or presented false evidence making her appear older than she was. If you could not reasonably have known that the person you were chatting with was a minor, you may have a strong defense.
• The communication was not sexually explicit - It is not always clear whether the definition of "sexually explicit" applies to certain types of communication. For example, sending a minor a diagram from an educational website explaining reproductive anatomy may fall into a gray area.

If you are even suspected of this offense, you need an attorney immediately. The consequences of even a false allegation can be serious. This is the type of accusation that can ruin lives, even if it is unfounded.

Contact a Silver Spring, MD Lawyer for Online Solicitation of a Minor

The Law Offices of Gerstenfield & Demirji, PC. is highly experienced in representing people accused of sex crimes against minors. Our dedicated team of Silver Spring, MD sex crimes attorneys will provide you with the best legal defense possible. Contact us at 301-589-9500 for a complimentary consultation.