Internet Sex Crimes

Legislatures have updated criminal laws in recent years to recognize the fact that many sex crimes now take place via the internet, and both state and federal law enforcement officials devote considerable resources to investigating these crimes. If you’ve been charged with an internet sex crime, you need an experienced legal advocate who will pursue a tailored legal strategy to fight for a favorable resolution to your case. Contact Frank & Juengel Law Group P.C., for an initial case evaluation with an internet sex crimes defense lawyer serving the St. Louis area and find out why we’re the gold standard in criminal defense.

Understanding the Types of Internet Sex Crimes

Internet sex crimes refer to any sex offense committed through the use of the internet. A perpetrator may use the internet to obtain or distribute illegal sexually explicit materials. Alternatively, a perpetrator may solicit a victim through the internet, including via email, dating apps, or social media. At Frank & Juengel Law Group P.C., our team of experienced criminal defense attorneys can help you resolve internet sex crime charges such as:

Possession and Distribution of Child Pornography: It’s not uncommon for individuals to find themselves inadvertently involved in the possession or distribution of child pornography, often through the use of common internet tools like torrent software. Navigating the complexities of what constitutes legal and illegal digital content can be confusing and could lead to unintentional violations of the law.
Solicitation of Minors: Charges of soliciting minors often arise from misunderstandings or misrepresentations on social media and dating platforms, where the age of participants is not always clear. What might have seemed like interactions with consenting adults can, unfortunately, turn into serious legal accusations if minors misrepresent themselves as older than they are.
Solicitation of Prostitution: The internet can sometimes blur the lines between lawful and unlawful interactions. Individuals might find themselves facing solicitation charges following activities they did not realize crossed legal boundaries, particularly in online environments where intentions are not always clear.
Nonconsensual Distribution of Sexually Explicit Materials: The laws surrounding the nonconsensual distribution of sexually explicit materials (often called “revenge porn”) are designed to protect privacy and prevent harassment. However, individuals might be unaware of these legal boundaries, or how sharing certain materials without explicit consent can lead to severe repercussions
Cyberstalking/Harassment: What may start as benign online interactions can escalate to accusations of cyberstalking or harassment. Laws in this area are intended to prevent unwanted advances, but they can also ensnare those who believed their communications were welcomed or simply not harmful. Understanding the fine line between persistence and harassment is crucial in digital communications.

Federal vs. State Internet Sex Crime Laws

Internet sex crimes may result in prosecution under state or federal law. Sex offenses involving the internet typically result in an interstate or international crime, triggering federal jurisdiction over the prosecution. For example, people who trade child pornography often do so with people living in other states or countries. However, when a perpetrator and victim live in the same state, an internet sex crime may result in state prosecution.

The federal government and the states have various laws against internet sex crimes. For example, federal laws prohibit the solicitation or distribution of child pornography and make it illegal for U.S. citizens to travel abroad to engage in sexual activity with minors. State laws also prohibit the possession and distribution of child pornography, distribution of “revenge porn,” cyberstalking, and solicitation of sexual activity.

Penalties for Conviction for Internet Sex Crimes

A conviction for an internet-based sex crime may result in various severe penalties. Depending on the type of offense, a convicted defendant may could face penalties that include prison time, probation/parole, and substantial fines. People convicted of internet sex crimes may have to register as sex offenders after serving their sentence. In some cases, a sex offender may have their registration information published on a publicly accessible website or may have community notification requirements that require law enforcement to inform the registrant’s neighbors about their sex offender status. Some defendants convicted of internet sex crimes may also receive a designation as a sexually violent predator, which may come with significant lifetime restrictions.

Furthermore, a defendant with a criminal record that includes a sex crime may face long-term personal consequences. A criminal record that appears in background checks can make it challenging for an individual to obtain employment, educational, or housing opportunities.

Common Defenses to Internet Sex Crimes Charges

Defendants may pursue various defense strategies in cases involving internet sex crimes, which may challenge a legal element of a charge, pursue exclusion of evidence, or disprove the defendant as the perpetrator of the crime. Some of the most common defenses used in internet sex crime cases include the following:

Lack of intent: A defendant may fight internet sex crime charges by arguing that they did not have the required criminal intent to commit the charged offense.
Entrapment: Defendants facing solicitation charges arising from a law enforcement sting operation may raise an entrapment defense, alleging that investigators improperly induced the defendant to commit a crime they otherwise would not have committed.
Good faith defenses: Defendants facing child pornography charges may assert a good faith defense if they inadvertently obtained a minimal number of pieces of sexually explicit materials and either destroyed the materials or turned them over to law enforcement without allowing any other party to access the materials.
Mistaken identity: A defendant may contest an internet-based sex crime by arguing that another party committed the crime. Defendants may challenge the sufficiency of the prosecution’s evidence proving the perpetrator’s identity, especially where the prosecution’s case has limited evidence of identity, such as IP addresses that may implicate multiple parties in the offense.
Unlawful search/seizure: Defendants may file motions to exclude the prosecution’s evidence because investigators obtained the evidence in an illegal search unsupported by probable cause.
Unlawfully obtained statements: A defendant may seek to exclude statements they made to police during an unlawful interrogation, including failing to advise the defendant of their rights before questioning or coercing inculpatory statements from the defendant.

How Can an Internet Sex Crimes Defense Attorney Help You?

A St. Louis criminal defense attorney from Frank & Juengel Law Group P.C., can help you pursue a resolution of your charges that best protects your freedom, reputation, and future by:

Thoroughly investigating the allegations to recover all available evidence
Evaluating the facts of your case to identify potential defense strategies
Explaining your charges to you and preparing you for what to expect during criminal prosecution
Challenging the prosecution’s case at each stage, including moving to exclude evidence or dismiss your charges
Pursuing every available avenue to secure a favorable outcome to the case, even if that means going to court and trial to fight for your rights and interests

Why Choose Frank & Juengel Law Group P.C.?

Internet sex crime charges can put your freedom and future at risk, and your choice of a defense attorney is one of the most crucial decisions you can make. Defendants facing sex charges have turned to the legal team at Frank & Juengel Law Group P.C. because:

The firm is the number one defense firm for fighting internet sex offenses in the region. The attorneys have handled hundreds of these offenses and have taken these cases to jury trial with a full acquittal. Very few other attorneys in the country have this experience.
Our attorneys have over five decades of combined legal experience in criminal defense.
Our firm has a proven track record of success in defending clients against sex crime charges.
We take an aggressive approach to criminal defense, preparing every case for trial to put forth the most robust defense possible and maximize available options.
Our principal attorneys have earned numerous awards, including the highest AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell and inclusion in the Top 100 Attorneys in Missouri and the Missouri Super Lawyers list.
Judges, Lawyers, Law Enforcement Officers and Probation Officers have referred cases to our firm because we have the reputation as being the Best Sex Crimes Defense Lawyers.

Contact an Internet Sex Crimes Defense Lawyer Today

Are you facing internet sex crime charges in the St. Louis area? If so, contact Frank & Juengel Law Group P.C., today for a confidential consultation with a St. Louis sex crimes defense attorney to discuss your legal options for resolving your charges and protecting your rights, reputation, and future.

Internet Sex Crimes