Understanding Crimes Committed in Online Chat Room
In this day and age, many people conduct day-to-day transactions via the Internet. The Internet allows businesses to reach a broader customer base, families to stay connected, friends to talk without costly telephone calls; via chat rooms, the Internet allows people of all ages to meet friends and socialize. Chat rooms have also opened a door for sexual predators to meet minors, often with the sole purpose of engaging in some form of online, or in person, sexual activity.
Make no mistake, California has a number of laws that are directly related to sex crimes via the Internet and law enforcement officials crack down hard on individuals who are suspected of seducing minors in Internet chat rooms. In fact, California Penal Code 288.3 states that any adult who communicates with a minor or attempts to communicate with a minor with the intent to commit a sexual act is committing a sex crime. California Penal Code 288.4 makes it illegal for an adult to arrange a meeting with a minor for the purpose to engage in sexual offenses.
How Our Law Firm Can Help You
The severity of the alleged chat room crime will determine whether or not your case will be tried in state or federal court. Either way, you need an experienced defense attorney from Okabe & Haushalter on your side. Our lawyers have represented clients in all manner of sex crime cases. We understand the sensitivity required in such cases, which is why we take a strategic yet head-on approach when building your defense. Before you speak with law enforcement officials—and regardless of any evidence against you—you have the right to high-quality legal counsel.
It is not uncommon for law enforcement to carry out sting operations in chat rooms in an attempt to lure people into contacting or setting up a meeting with an officer or other individuals who are pretending to be a minor.
Secure the Help of a Las Vegas Defense Attorney
We know how terrifying it can be to face chat room sex crime charges, especially because we understand how much of an impact a sex crime conviction can make on your life, your family, and your future. That is why our attorneys are committed to preserving your reputation and rights. We work on a one-on-one basis with you, in order to develop a more complete understanding of your unique case, so that we can provide you with an effective defense.
In our experience, we have seen just how easy it is for police or other law enforcement to overstep their authority and violate an individual’s rights. When law enforcement crosses this boundary, the legal defense of entrapment may provide a person accused of sex crimes involving the Internet or computer the means to prevail even before trial. If you are being investigated for or have been charged with a sex crime involving the Internet or computer, we are committed to the cause of justice and will work effectively to help you defend your rights and fight for you.
Contact a Las Vegas sex crime attorney today.