If you or a loved one has been arrested or charged with a sex crime or sexual abuse crime in California, the most important call you can make will be to your criminal defense lawyer. Violating the laws in California can bring very severe penalties. There is nothing more important than having an aggressive and experienced criminal defense attorney on your side. An aggressive and experienced law firm may be able to get your charges reduced and in some cases dismissed.

In California, sexual behavior is considered criminal when it is one of the following offenses:

There are many types of sexual assault, but in California, it includes any type of unwanted physical contact with any sexual organs. Most sexual abuse and sexual assault crimes are felonies. In some states the laws include provisions against aggressive sexually suggestive statements, where no physical contact occurs.

Physical contact is considered “unwanted” if the victim did not legally consent to such contact. The contact is unwanted if the victim said “no”, physically objected or was intoxicated or incapacitated to the point of not being able to give consent.

In California, statutory rape is defined as illegal sexual activity between two people under the age of 18. There are also laws and penalties, including age restrictions, for sexual relations between a person of authority, such as a teacher, pastor, priest, police officer, coach or tutor, and the person under his or her authority. These laws can vary and are dependant upon the circumstances of each case. Statutory rape charges are most often brought up by the parents of the victim, but in California, like most states, they can be raised by the state. The State can file charges against you if you impregnate someone who is under 18 even when the underage party objects to the charges.

Date Rape is forcible sexual contact during a voluntary social engagement in which a person does not intend to submit to the sexual advances and resists. The fact that the engagement was voluntary and the parties were acquainted is not a defense to this type of charge.

Prostitution, solicitation, pandering and pimping are either considered felonies or misdemeanors in the State of California. Prostitution is defined as any person who receives payment for sexual intercourse or any other sexual act. Pimping is defined as any person soliciting acts of prostitution or pandering on behalf of another. Although a misdemeanor, it is considered a crime to engage in the hiring of a prostitute to perform sexual acts for payment.

Lewd acts, lascivious conduct and indecent exposure are usually charged as misdemeanor crimes in the State of California. These crimes involve pornography, engaging in sexual acts while in a public place and exposing the genitals in a public place.

If you are facing any of these very serious California sex crimes, you need the assistance of an experienced California criminal defense attorney who is compassionate about your situation and will work hard to defend you.

Our goal is to achieve the best results for our clients, whether it be dismissal, acquittal by a jury, an effective plea bargain or alternative sentencing. To that end, we use the full extent of our expertise, talents and resources in each and every case to achieve optimum results.