What Happens if You Get Caught Soliciting Prostitution?

What Happens if You Get Caught Soliciting Prostitution?

If you face charges of soliciting prostitution in Michigan, it can harm your future and life. The confusion and fear you may feel when facing these charges can be overwhelming. Due to how serious this crime is, whether you are accused, charged, or under investigation, it is recommended that you contact a criminal defense lawyer immediately.

An experienced criminal defense attorney can help you understand the soliciting prostitution charges against you and help protect you from the long-term ramifications a conviction may have. If you don’t have the services of a sex crimes lawyer, you may find that the consequences of this situation are severe.

Due to the seriousness of this crime and the potential penalties you face, you can not afford to go in “blind.” You sex crime lawyers to help you understand the charges against you and the potential consequences you face.

Along with hiring a criminal defense lawyer, learning more about these charges and how they can impact your life is beneficial. Keep reading to learn about solicitation charges in Michigan and the impact they can have.

Solicitation vs. Prostitution

It is important to note that according to the Michigan penal code, the act of prostitution and the solicitation of prostitution is not the same thing.

The act of prostitution is when someone accepts payment for some sexual act. Solicitation involves the lewd act of offering money to someone to engage in an act that is sexual in nature.

The biggest difference between these two charges is that to be charged with solicitation, the defendant requested that another person engages in an act with them that is sexual. The prosecution must prove that the defendant intended to engage in the criminal sexual act, even if it did not happen. This specific intent is enough to result in the arrest of someone for solicitation.

Understanding Solicitation of Prostitution Charges

When it comes to sex crimes in Michigan, solicitation of prostitution charges is somewhat straightforward. This crime involves the act of exchanging a payment of some type (including money) for a sexual act.

According to Michigan law, this crime involves someone who is age 16 or more who solicits, invites, or accosts someone else in a public location or from a vehicle or building by a gesture, word, or another means to engage in prostitution or another immoral or lewd act.

According to the penal code, the following acts are viewed as the solicitation of prostitution in Michigan:

● Using a gesture, word, or some other action

● To invite, solicit, or accost someone else

● From or into a vehicle, public location, or building

● For committing prostitution or another immoral or lewd act

What Happens if You Get Caught Soliciting Prostitution?

If you are convicted of a first offense for solicitation of prostitution, it is a misdemeanor. The potential penalty for this is up to 93 days in county jail and fines of up to $500.

For a second conviction of prostitution or prostitution-related crimes, you will face potential penalties of a year in jail and up to $1,000 in fines. Third or consecutive convictions are charged as felonies and come with a maximum prison sentence of two years and maximum fines of $2,000. Unlike other sex crime charges, a solicitation conviction in Michigan does not require that you register as a sex offender.

Solicitation Does Not Always Include Sexual Acts

It is important to note that you can be charged with solicitation of prostitution in Michigan even if no sexual services or sex acts occur. Usually, solicitation charges arise during sting operations, which occur when the police go undercover to try to catch a criminal. In this situation, the crime would be soliciting a prostitute.

In these sting operations, female police officers will play the role of a prostitute and wait for a “John” to solicit them for the act of prostitution. Other officers are usually nearby to come and arrest the solicitor.

No type of lewd act or sexual action is required for this arrest. Money does not have to exchange hands, either. Just proposing to pay money (or something else) for sex is considered a solicitation in Michigan.

Potential Legal Defense Strategies for Solicitation Charges

It is recommended that you contact a prostitution lawyer right away to begin forming an attorney-client relationship. The criminal sexual conduct attorney you hire will be able to examine the facts of your case and develop effective legal defenses for your situation.

Make sure you hire a criminal defense attorney with experience handling cases involving sexual conduct, like what is described above. Some of the potential sexual assault defense strategies that can be used for soliciting prostitution charges are listed here. Remember, your CSC defense attorney must create an argument that shows reasonable doubt that you meant to commit prostitution-related crimes.

Specific Defenses to Your Solicitation Charges in Michigan

Potential criminal defense strategies for a soliciting a prostitute charge include the following:

• The criminal defendants in the case were unaware of what was going on and unknowingly violated the law; however, their actions were innocent
• Providing proof that the sex act did not occur or that the activity did not involve any sexual act
• Showing there was no exchange of payment
• Your arrest was not supported by any probable cause as outlined in the Michigan penal code
• Your Constitutional legal rights were violated
• The prosecution does not have sufficient evidence to show any sexual favors, sexual intercourse, or other sexual acts that occurred

There are other considerations your attorney will keep in mind as they work to build a criminal defense for your case. Reputable sex offender lawyers will consider all circumstances surrounding the situation and your arrest as they build your defense. Since the act of prostitution is illegal in Michigan, you must get an attorney right away when facing these charges (see: Michigan prostitution laws).

Contact an Attorney to Help Establish a Strong Criminal Defense for Your Case

If you have been arrested in Michigan and charged with solicitation of prostitution, it is important to work with an experienced and informed attorney to help reduce the possibility of a conviction.

As a former prosecutor, Attorney Nicole Blank Becker can provide the legal representation you need. When you contact Blank Law, PC, the legal team understands that several factors come into play when facing these charges and that the prosecution must show specific intent. In many cases, other considerations are involved, which can help strengthen your defense. This is all information that your attorney will use to help you fight the charges against you.

Attorney Nicole Blank Becker Provides the Legal Defense You Deserve

With more than two decades of experience working on criminal cases in Michigan, you can count on Attorney Nicole Blank Becker and her army at Blank Law, PC to provide you with aggressive representation, regardless of if you are facing solicitation, disorderly contact, or other sex crime allegations. She fully understands the criminal justice system in the state, thanks to her years as a deputy prosecutor.

No matter your situation, you can count on this legal team to help you with your case and provide the best possible representation for your situation.

The first step is to contact Blank Law, PC by calling (248) 515-6583 or reaching out online. The initial consultation is free; you can discuss the situation and learn your options. This law firm ensures that your rights are protected, no matter the charges you are facing.