Many of us have seen “To Catch a Predator” with Chris Hansen on NBC’s Dateline. Before you decide to enter a chat room and communicate with someone who sounds interesting, bear in mind that that 18 year old “girl” on the other end may be a 45 year old police detective. It is a crime to solicit sex from someone a person believes to be under the age of consent, even if the supposed victim only exists in the imagination of the detective. In federal court there is a 10 year mandatory minimum sentence for attempting to solicit an underage person (male or female), and trying to solicit an adult police officer is still an attempted sex crime, even through no minor is involved at all. If a man asks the “girl” on the other end if she is really a cop, courts have consistently ruled that the police officer has a right to say he is a female without that being entrapment.
If you have been charged with a sex crime on the internet, you need and experienced lawyer. Please call me at 501-604-4525.
