What Are The Legal Consequences Of Engaging In Cybersex With A Minor

Internet is not only the largest source of information to date – it is also a huge market, a trading platform and, most importantly, an incredible communication tool that erases all limitations and restrictions when it comes to getting in touch with one another. With that said, nowadays, we are all well accustomed to using all kinds of chat rooms that are designed to satisfy nearly any kind of needs and requirements. Sure enough, in case you have a problem with some of your gadgets, you can easily find an active chat room about this device and discover the best ways to deal with the issue online. Chat rooms are incredibly convenient and you can find a chat room about anything you want.

Of course, people, who would like to satisfy their intimate sexual desires also enjoy chatting in various chat rooms that are created specifically to fulfill their passion and lust for sex. In most cases, there is nothing illegal about two adults who engaged in cybersex. Nevertheless, in case one of the chat room users is actually a minor, the actions of the adult person on the other side of the screen are considered illegal and he or she can be arrested for committing the actual crime.

For instance, California Penal Code determines that anyone under 17 years of age is considered a minor and engaging in cybersex with this person is a crime. The law enforcement officers as well as the FBI agents often pose as minors on popular sex chats and apprehend all the adults, who intend to have sex with the minor individuals. A person can be accused of committing a sex crime in case he or she was intending to have cybersex in both verbal or graphical way and in case he or she knew from the start that the other person is actually a minor who is still younger than 17. Furthermore, the law also punishes people for soliciting minor to meet and have sexual contact, sexual intercourse or deviate sexual intercourse. When it comes to the legal penalties, in case the victim is younger than 17 years but older than 14, the crime is considered a felony in third degree. Such a crime is punishable by up to 19 years in the correctional facility as well as up to $10 000 in fines. In case the victim is younger than 14 years, it is a felony in second degree. Such a crime is punishable by up to 20 years in the correctional facility as well as a $10 000 fine.

However, at times, misunderstanding happen and it is very important to have a qualified as well as experienced Los Angeles criminal lawyer by your side in case you are innocent of the crime in the first place. A good lawyer will be able to gather enough evidence to prove that you were simply fooling around and the meeting you talked about in the chat room was never going to take place. Furthermore, if the minor consented to the solicitation and the other person was no more than three years older than the minor, there was no crime to begin with.

One way or the other, at times, people do not know that they are talking to the minors and the law enforcement officers do not check their information properly, so it is definitely up to the lawyer to help the accused person in dealing with such a misunderstanding. Only a qualified Los Angeles criminal defense attorney will be able to gather enough evidence and will present it in court in order to demonstrate that you had no ill intentions whatsoever and that the alleged crime never happened. Therefore, if you or your loved ones were unfortunate enough to be accused of internet crimes, do not hesitate to get in touch with a good legal representative as soon as possible.