Were You Arrested on a Sex Crime?
An accusation of a sex crime is extremely dangerous. Everyone has strong feelings about these crimes and about sex offenders. Even a wrongful accusation of Child Molestation, Sexual Assault, Internet child pornography, Prostitution, Rape, Date rape, Lewd Acts, Indecent exposure, Incest, Sexual exploitation of a minor, or Federal and state child pornography charges can bring your life and career to a halt, and alienate you from friends and family. It’s important that your attorney be sensitive to the special considerations of these cases and know how to navigate a system that will be stacked against you.
Los Angeles Sex Crimes Attorney
If you are facing sex crime cases in California, the consequences can be serious and long-lasting. Long-lasting in a way that the shame associated with a sex crime charge that was made against you will subsist – most likely perpetually – even after your conviction’s penalties have passed. It is essential to hire an experienced Los Angeles sex crimes attorney who will fight for your rights and help protect your future.
Our criminal defense attorney, Seppi Esfandi, has 18 years of legal experience defending clients against all types of felony sex crime charges, including rape, sexual misconduct with a minor, sexual assault, child pornography offenses, or child molestation, our Los Angeles Sex Crimes Law firm has successfully defended clients against allegations ranging from any kind of sexual-related crime.
We offer free consultations on countless sex crime cases involving lewd conduct, prostitution, solicitation, domestic violence, spousal rape, statutory rape, or other related offenses such as pimping or pandering. Let us work for you! Call us today!
Why Should You Choose Los Angeles Criminal Defense Firm When You’re Facing Sex Crimes Charges in Los Angeles?
Los Angeles Criminal Defense has been defending persons accused of most sex crimes throughout Los Angeles, California. Our Los Angeles criminal defense law office has a seasoned criminal defense attorney with 18 years of courtroom experience who knows how to defend you against all types of sexual assault charges. His aggressive, creative, and effective defense strategies have saved many innocent lives from the heavy consequences of sex crime convictions. His consistent track record of results speaks volumes of his achievement in the criminal defense area. When you hire our Los Angeles sex crimes attorney, we can assure you of our constant communication and availability and affordable rates.
Our criminal law firm will work hard to get your charges reduced or dismissed. Suppose you’re facing a felony conviction for a Los Angeles sex crime that requires mandatory sex offender registration under the California Penal Code section 290. In that case, we can help minimize the risk of having your name added to this registry by seeking an alternative resolution known as PC 290 relief which is granted only after an extensive hearing process at the Superior Court.
Don’t let a Los Angeles sex crime charge destroy your life. We will continue to work hard to help you avoid harsh penalties, including jail time, hefty fines, and mandatory classes. Call us now for a free consultation!
Types of Sex Crimes Charges We Handle in Los Angeles
Child Molestation
Child molestation felony sex crime occurs when lewd conduct or lascivious act is performed on a minor under the age of 14 with the “intention of arousing or gratifying the lust, passions, or sexual desires of that minor or child.” A lewd or lascivious act is defined as the sexual act of touching the child with the intention to sexually arouse the perpetrator (defendant) or the child.
It is also considered sexual abuse if the defendant asks the youngster to touch him. Touching any portion of the child’s body, whether on the naked skin or through the child’s clothing, is considered a lewd and lascivious act.
Sexual Assault
Sexual assault felony sex crime occurs when a person purposefully sexually touches another person without their consent or physically forces the other person to engage in a sexual act against their will.
Internet Child Pornography
Internet child pornography felony sex crime occurs when there’s an act of underage minor engaging in sexual exploitation. According to federal California state law, possession of child pornography is defined as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a juvenile (person less than 18 years old).
Child pornography photographs are also known as child sexual abuse images.
Prostitution
Prostitution felony sex crime occurs when there’s any lewd or lascivious act done for money or anything of value, as opposed to sexual. It’s the act of asking, urging, encouraging, or forcing someone to perform an act of prostitution.
The person soliciting must have a specific aim to engage in any activity prohibited by law. If a guy, for example, approaches a woman in a pub and promises to pay her $200 if she will have sexual activity with him, he is guilty of soliciting prostitution even if the transaction does not materialize.
Rape
Rape felony sex crime occurs when there’s illegal sexual conduct and, in most cases, sexual intercourse carried out against a person’s will or under threat of injury, or with a person who is under a specific age or incapable of legitimate consent due to mental deficiency, drunkenness, insensibility, or deceit.
Date Rape
Date rape felony sex crime occurs when there’s a form of relationship violence, sexual intercourse, and acquaintance rape. “Date rape” is a term used to refer to sexual assault done by a person involved in a romantic or potentially romantic relationship with the victim. Although the two terms are frequently used interchangeably, date rape refers to a rape in which the two parties have had some form of romantic or potentially sexual interaction.
Lewd Acts
A lewd act felony sex crime occurs when there’s a touching of someone else’s private parts for sexual satisfaction, or to annoy or offend another person is considered a lewd act. Buttocks, female breasts, or her genitals are examples of private areas.
A lewd act conduct case usually involves a public sex act, such as oral sex, exposing genitals, or masturbation. Any area that is open to the general public or visible from the street qualifies as a public space.
Indecent Exposure
Indecent exposure felony sex crime occurs when there’s intentional displaying of genitals in public, which can cause others to be alarmed or disturbed.
Indecent exposure is frequently committed for the sexual gratification of the offender or to elicit a sexual response, although the intention varies from person to person.
Incest
Incest sex crime occurs when a person has an abnormal sexual interest or gets married to a blood relative.
All considered relatives are parents and children, siblings, half-siblings, grandparents and grandchildren, great-grandparents and great-grandchildren, uncles and aunts and nephews and nieces.
Sexual Exploitation of Minors
Sexual exploitation of minors sex crime occurs when someone, regardless of age, takes advantage of a power imbalance to force or persuade an underage minor to engage in sexual activity in exchange for something given to the child or those carrying out or enabling the assault.
The fact that there was apparent consent does not negate the abusive nature of the conduct, as it does with other forms of child sexual abuse.
Penalties for Sex Crime Conviction in Los Angeles, California
The government will aim to obtain a conviction and push for the harsh penalties provided by the legislation for your specified misdemeanor sex crime.
Penalties for sex crimes are highly diverse, depending on a variety of circumstances, including the specific violation and your prior criminal record (if you ever have one).
Punishments for a Los Angeles sex crime might include any or all of the following:
- Being imprisoned in a county jail or California state prison
- Fines or paroles in a county jail
- Discretion from the court or county jail to impose any combination of jail time, fines, probation, community service, therapy, rehabilitation, or other requirements as deemed necessary by the court.
The secondary consequences of a sex crime conviction might include the following: social and civil repercussions that you may endure or suffer as a result of your criminal record’s sex offense.
You may find that finding a job or even having your professional license revoked is difficult. Locating a place to reside might be tough, especially if you are a convicted sex offender.
Additionally, if you are charged as a felony offender, your right to own or possess a firearm, as well as your custody and visitation rights if you have children, is at risk.
Understanding the Sex Offender Registration in California
Sex offender registries are a network of federal and state systems that collect information on convicted sex offenders for law enforcement and the general public. There were approximately 752,000 registered sex offenders in the United States as of 2019.
People who have been convicted and accused of a sex offense must register as sex offenders, which entails providing their personal information, including a photograph, fingerprints, address, and place of employment. This data will be publicly available, and being on the registry might restrict someone’s chances of getting work.
In many jurisdictions, registrants are prohibited from entering certain areas of a city, such as schools and parks. This means they are not permitted to stay in, work in, or even visit specific sections of a city.
Being charged with a sexual crime has a taint that will harm your personal and professional reputation for years after you have served your sentence.
California’s Three-Tier Sex Offender Registration System
California has some of the most severe penalties for various sex offenses. A conviction for many sex crimes requires a sex offender to register with the state. Sex offenders are classified into three “tiers” in California:
Tier 1
Requires registration as a sex offender for the span of 10 years, while five years for minors. If, for example, at the beginning of July 1 of 2021, you have served the minimum 10-year requirement, you will be able to get a petition for removal from the sex offender registry list.
Tier 1 is about all misdemeanor sex offenses and non-violent felony sex offenses. Tier 1 sex crimes include but are not limited to indecent exposure, misdemeanor child pornography, misdemeanor oral copulation, and misdemeanor sexual battery.
Summary: Tier 1 is for those with a felony conviction for misdemeanor sexual battery, indecent exposure, or other low-level sex crimes that have been registered as such for at least ten years.
Tier 2
Requires registration as a sex offender for the span of 20 years, and 10 years for minors. If, for example, at the beginning of July 1 of 2021, you have served the minimum 20-year requirement, you will be able to get a petition for removal from the sex offender registry list.
Tier 2 encompasses mid-level felonies that are excluded from Tier 1 and Tier 3. Tier 2 crimes include but are not limited to incest, oral copulation, acts of penetration with a foreign object, and a second separate conviction for annoying a child for sexual arousal purposes that have been registered as such for at least ten years.
Summary: Tier 2 is for those with a mid-level sex crime conviction, such as a lewd act with a child or minor under the age of 14, incest, or acts involving penetration with a foreign object that is required for registration at least 20 years.
Tier 3
Requires registration as a sex offender for lifetime sanction. If you are convicted or accused of Tier 3 sex crimes, you are not credible or eligible to petition the court for removal from the sex offender registry list.
Tier 3 is for those who have more serious sex offenses. These include but are not limited to: felony possession of child pornography, pimping and pandering of a minor, and many cases of statutory rape.
Summary: Tier 3 is for those with the most serious sex crimes, such as a statutory rape case, child pornography, or pimping and pandering of a minor that requires lifetime sex offender registration for many of the most.
Potential Defenses Against Sex Crime Allegations
In Los Angeles, sometimes the claims made against you are false.
There are a variety of potential sex crime strategies your Los Angeles Sex Crimes attorney may use to fight a sex crime charge for those who need protection from it. However, if you hire a defense attorney that is familiar with the Los Angeles courts and has experience defending sex crime charges, you have a better chance of having these charges dismissed or reduced.
Legal defense strategy to sex crimes in LA might include any of the following examples:
- Consent: you did not violate someone’s will or force them into sexual nature against their will.
- False accusations: someone falsely accused you of reasons that may be related to bias or revenge, feeling hurt, or humiliated.
- Insufficient evidence: the prosecution lacks enough concrete evidence to prove your guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, leading to an acquittal.
- Legal mistake: the procedure followed by the authorities in gathering evidence or conducting an investigation was flawed, leading to an acquittal.
- Mistaken identity: no physical contact was ever made between you and the other person, leading to an acquittal.
- Law enforcement misconduct: law enforcement such as the police conducting an illegal search or using coercive tactics to force a confession from you, leading to an acquittal.
- Sex offender registration is usually mandatory for Tier 1 and Tier 2 sex crimes. If any of these factors led to your being required to register as a sex offender in Los Angeles, then the criminal Los Angeles sex crimes attorneys can argue that this requirement should be removed or that your registration period should be shortened.
Los Angeles Sex Crimes FAQs
If you are required to register as a sex offender and fail to do so, you may face the following penalties:
Additional time in prison (usually more than half of your original sentence), fines, or both.
Currently, if you fail to register after being released from jail or prison due to a sex crime violation, it is considered an independent crime and is a felony sex offense.
The only way to avoid mandatory registration on California’s sex offender registry is by asserting a strong sex crime defense from the get-go. At the Los Angeles Criminal Defense Firm, we’ll do everything we can to safeguard your future and keep you off of the state’s offender registry.
When you are charged with a sex crime, the consequences may be serious. You can help protect yourself by hiring an experienced Los Angeles criminal defense attorney who is familiar with the local courts and procedures related to these types of crimes.
A sex offense often results in harsh punishments that can impact your life for years to come. However, there are defenses available and actions you can take to lessen the penalty and avoid the most severe punishments.
The sex crimes lawyer at Los Angeles Criminal Defense can help you protect yourself and your future by conducting a thorough investigation, examining the evidence against you, and helping formulate a sex crime defense that is tailored to your sex crime case.
When you contact our Los Angeles criminal defense law firm for assistance with your Los Angeles sex crime defense, we will:
- Examine the circumstances of your arrest, any searches of your body or property, as well as your contacts with the cops.
- Determine whether your rights have been violated and, as a result, if any of the state’s evidence should be excluded.
- Consult with experts to collect evidence that supports your side of the story and/or contradicts the state’s claims.
- Examine the state’s case against you for flaws that may be exploited to your advantage.
- Negotiate with a criminal defense attorney to have the criminal charges against you dropped or for a good plea bargain.
- If necessary, bring your sex crime case before a judge and/or jury.
Individuals who are in Tier 1 or 2 will have the option to petition the superior court in their county of residence to have themselves removed from the sex offender registry if they’ve served enough time as determined by their crime.
It might be difficult to remove your name from the registry before it expires. With the aid of a highly trained team of criminal defense attorneys, you may be successful. A dismissal of your sex crime case after you’ve completed a probation or jail/prison sentence is one option. This may remove the conviction from your record, but it will also necessitate registration as a sex offender.
Obtaining a Los Angeles certificate of rehabilitation is another option for getting your name removed. While this may not remove your conviction from the record, it would allow you to be off the sex offender registry.
Tier 3 offenders, on the other hand, must remain registered for life. Tier 3 convicts can only be excused in very rare circumstances, such as after receiving a governor’s pardon and demonstrating exceptional repentance.
Facing Sex Crime Charges? Let Our Los Angeles Sex Crimes Lawyer Help You
We’re tough on crime. We’re tough on criminals. If you were arrested in Los Angeles for a sex crime offense, our defense lawyer is here to help you every step of the way.
Contact us at 949-386‑7400 or send a message online to schedule a free consultation with Los Angeles Criminal Defense today and get your legal advice from our skilled defense legal team.
We’re Here to Fight for Your Freedom
Seppi helped me out of a bind when I really needed it. No one else seemed to want to help me as much as him. It doesn’t get any better. I highly recommend.
Seppi was awesome. He will answer his phone at 10pm on a Saturday or any other time you need him. I’ve never had to call back. A few other firms I talked to wanted me to call back several times before they could even give me a quote or advice. He took the time to really listen to me and was able to meet right away. The decision to hire him was obvious. I’ve never been in legal trouble before and he made me feel very comfortable and assured throughout the entire situation.
I had a situation where I was facing some serious time. The charges would have ruined my life. Seppi came through for me and now it’s not a problem. Very grateful.
Seppi is amazing! He got my case dismissed in one week! He and his office always communicated with me and took the time to talk with me about the process. I will always recommend Seppi!
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