When you are facing sex crime charges in Rochester Hills, Michigan, there is no time to waste. These kinds of allegations are among the most serious that you could ever possibly face, and for the sake of your freedom, your family, and your future, you need a qualified sex crimes lawyer to fight for your rights and represent your interests.
Make no mistake – there is no such thing as a minor sex crime. If you are convicted of a felony sexual offense, you could potentially spend the rest of your life in prison. Even if you are “only” found guilty of a misdemeanor sex crime, you could still be placed on the sex offender registry, which will follow you forever, no matter where you go.
To help you understand just what is at stake and what you need when facing criminal sexual conduct or other sex crime charges, let’s take a closer look at what to look for in a top Rochester, MI sex crimes lawyer.
Always take any sex crime allegation seriously, even if you believe that you have been falsely accused because you can be sure that law enforcement certainly does. Do not ever think that this is just some terrible misunderstanding that you can easily clear up by just talking to the police on your own because anything you say can and will be used against you.
In other words, if you say anything that is in any way incriminating, it could hurt your criminal defense against these sex crime charges.
So the very first thing you must do is exercise your constitutional right to remain silent and to refuse to answer any questions without your Michigan criminal sexual conduct lawyer present.
Then, immediately contact Blank Law, PC, one of Michigan’s top criminal defense law offices focused on sex crimes. This specialized practice area means they have the experience, reputation, negotiating skills, and courtroom acumen to give you the best possible chance to beat the sex offense allegations.
You need a specialist – a qualified sex crimes lawyer – because if you are convicted, the penalties for various sex crimes in Rochester Hills, MI can be severe:
Accosting a child for immoral purposes is a felony punishable by a maximum of four years in prison and/or a fine of up to $4,000.
Second and subsequent convictions carry punishments of up to 10 years in prison and/or a maximum fine of $10,000.
Anyone convicted of coercing, forcing, or enticing a child to commit sex acts for use in sexually abusive material – aka child pornography – is guilty of a felony sex crime punishable by a maximum of 20 years in prison and/or a fine not to exceed $100,000.
The maximum felony punishment increases to up to 25 years imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $125,000 if the sexually abusive material depicts:
Knowingly distributing, promoting, or financing child pornography carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison and/or a fine of $50,000.
If any of the same above-listed aggravated circumstances exist, then the maximum penalties worsen to 15 years in prison and/or a fine of $75,000.
Finally, seeking, accessing, or possessing child sexually abusive material is a felony punishable by up to four years in prison and/or a fine of $10,000.
Aggravated circumstances carry much harsher maximum penalties of 10 years in prison and/or a $50,000 fine.
Second or subsequent violations of any part of section 750.145c carry a mandatory minimum sentence of five years imprisonment.
Criminal sexual conduct 1st degree – aka sexual assault – is a felony with harsh penalties, including prison sentences of any length, including life.
For perpetrators aged 17 or older who are convicted of sexual assault against a minor victim younger than 13 years old, the minimum mandatory sentence is 25 years, while the maximum is life imprisonment.
For CSC 1st-degree violations involving adult perpetrators older than 18 and minor victims younger than 13, second and subsequent convictions carry a maximum penalty of life in prison without the possibility of parole (see: CSC 1st-degree Michigan penalty).
Criminal sexual conduct 2nd-degree sex crime charges are felonies punishable by a maximum of 15 years in prison.
Criminal sexual conduct 3rd-degree sex crimes, such as statutory rape, are felonies that carry a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.
Criminal sexual conduct 4th-degree sex offenses are classified as misdemeanor sex crimes in Rochester Hills, MI. They are punishable by a maximum of 2 years in prison, a fine of up to $500, or both.
Penalties
In Rochester, MI, indecent exposure is a misdemeanor sex crime with three different levels.
First-level indecent exposure – showing one’s private parts – is punishable by a maximum fine of $1,000 and/or up to one year in prison.
Second-level indecent exposure – which adds fondling or masturbation – doubles the maximum penalty to $2,000 and/or up to two years in prison.
Registered sex offenders – known as “sexually delinquent persons” under Michigan law – who are subsequently convicted of indecent exposure can be imprisoned for an indefinite period, from one day to life (see: the penalty for indecent exposure).
Gross indecency between persons, or public sex acts involving two or more people, is considered a felony in Macomb County and is punishable by a maximum of five years in prison, a $2,500 fine, or both.
As with solo indecent exposure, sexually delinquent persons who are subsequently convicted of gross indecency charges may be imprisoned indefinitely.
Prostitution is a misdemeanor in Rochester Hills, MI, and the maximum punishment for first-time offenders is a $500 fine and up to 93 days in jail. A second prostitution conviction is also a misdemeanor, with a fine of no more than $1,000 and/or one year in prison.
A third or subsequent conviction, however, qualifies as a felony sex crime, carrying maximum penalties of a $2,000 fine, two years in prison, or both.
Soliciting or engaging in the sexual services of a prostitute is usually a misdemeanor, carrying the same penalties as prostitution offenses.
However, soliciting or paying for prostitution services from anyone under the age of 18, i.e. solicitation of a minor, is a far more serious sex crime – a felony that is punishable by a maximum penalty of a $10,000 fine and/or 5 years in prison.
Operating a brothel in Rochester, MI, is a felony with a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison and/or a $5,000 fine. Knowingly renting out a dwelling to someone intending to use it for prostitution is a misdemeanor sex crime carrying a maximum fine of $750 and/or six months in jail.
Sexual exploitation crimes such as human trafficking or sexual slavery are serious felonies punishable by a prison term of up to 20 years.
Section 750.13 of the Michigan Penal Code says anyone who entices a minor child younger than 16 into prostitution has committed a felony sex crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Sex crime charges have the potential to ruin your life. If you are convicted, your name may be added to the sex offender registry, even if you otherwise avoid the maximum penalties. This sex offender label brands you for life and can affect where you live and work.
To beat these charges, you need qualified CSC lawyers in Michigan who understand how to mount effective sexual assault defense strategies. There are several weapons that a top Oakland County sex crimes lawyer must have at their disposal.
Your Rochester Hills defense attorney must thoroughly know the sex crimes laws. The greater their understanding of these complicated laws, the more they will be able to use their legal nuances to their advantage.
The best sexual assault defense lawyers have proven experience handling cases just like yours. Since they have seen, heard, and made the arguments before, they know what works and what doesn’t. This means they can focus their efforts on the most effective strategies.
Knowledge plus experience equals know-how. This means that the best sexual abuse defense lawyers in Rochester Hills, MI know how to make the right motions, the right arguments, the right challenges, and negotiate the right plea bargain agreements at the right time.
A top Rochester Hills, MI, CSC defense attorney uses their reputation within the Michigan legal community as an advantage that can serve your needs.
If you are charged with sex offenses that have the potential to put you in prison, destroy your finances, ruin your reputation, and have you branded a registered sex offender for the rest of your life, you want a sex crimes defense lawyer who is taken seriously by both the Oakland County District Attorney and the judge presiding over the case.
The best sex crimes lawyers in Rochester, MI, know when it is the right time to make a deal.
Plea bargains are an important part of the criminal justice system process in Oakland County. The District Attorney is saddled with a backlog of cases, and they face public pressure to successfully resolve as many of these as possible.
This is why they are often very willing to negotiate a plea bargain benefitting both sides. The DA appears successful to the public because they can show another successful conviction, and you are spared a longer, more expensive, and possibly unpredictable public trial.
Best of all, you receive a much more favorable outcome than you would if convicted.
A plea bargain is often the way to make the best of a difficult situation, especially when some of the charges may be technically true or there is sufficient evidence to make a conviction a real possibility.
If your sex crimes case in Rochester Hills, MI makes it to trial, your need for specialized representation from a qualified sex crimes lawyer becomes greater than ever. A CSC case can send you to prison for years, and maybe even for the rest of your life.
To beat the sexual crime charges, hire a criminal defense attorney who will zealously defend your interests by disputing every claim the prosecution makes.
A good Rochester Hills sex crimes lawyer can find the flaws and inconsistencies in each of these to help build reasonable doubt in the minds of the jurors. The bigger the doubt, the greater the chances of an acquittal.
Some lawyers won’t even handle sex crime cases because they are complicated and unpopular with the public. However, just because you are accused of a serious sexual offense in Rochester Hills, MI, doesn’t mean that you don’t have rights or that you don’t deserve a fair trial.
If any of these rights were compromised or violated, it could seriously jeopardize the State’s case against you.
Not all Michigan criminal defense lawyers are created equal. With the rest of your life at stake, you simply cannot trust your freedom and your entire future to an underpaid and overworked public defender or an ordinary lawyer who practices family law, personal injury law, or business law.
When everything is on the line, you need a specialist who is focused solely on sex crimes.
You need Blank Law, PC!
Founding sex crimes defense lawyer Nicole Blank Becker has served clients for more than 20 years, working as both an Assistant Prosecutor and as a private defense attorney. Relevant to your sex crimes charges, Nicole’s professional experience includes working as the Chief of Macomb County Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Crimes Units.
Attorney Christopher Coyle served the public in Wayne County for over 30 years. Chris worked as an Assistant Prosecutor, eventually becoming the Deputy Chief of the Special Victims Unit.
Between the two of them, specialist sex crimes criminal defense lawyers Nicole and Christopher have argued for both sides of the law – prosecution, and defense – on thousands of sex crime cases in Rochester Hills and elsewhere in the state of Michigan. They possess a unique skill set that can help you successfully beat sex crime charges.
For a free first consultation, send your info to Blank Law, PC with this online contact form. All sensitive information is safely and securely encrypted to protect your privacy.