Internet sex crimes carry the potential for severe legal penalties in addition to significant social stigma, which can cause long-term financial and familial consequences. Since Internet sex crimes involve a digital “paper trail,” you’ll need to get in touch with a sex crime lawyer in Columbus who has the resources necessary to develop an aggressive criminal defense .
Solicitation
A criminal defense attorney may need to defend you against a charge of solicitation if you have been accused of offering sexual contact for monetary gain. This type of offense may be committed with the use of Internet chat rooms, online ads, instant messages, or discussion forums. A similar charge is solicitation of a minor. An individual could face this charge if he or she is accused of trying to coerce or lure a minor into committing sexual acts.
Cyberstalking
In Ohio, cyberstalking is covered under the Ohio Revised Code Menacing by Stalking . Cyberstalking may involve activities such as engaging in repeated unwanted contact, making threats of violence online, harassing the victim, or making unwanted sexual advances via the Internet or a cellphone. Cyberstalking is generally prosecuted as a first-degree misdemeanor in Ohio. However, as your criminal defense attorney can explain to you, it may be elevated to a fourth-degree felony if certain circumstances apply. These include if the defendant has prior convictions of menacing by stalking, if the alleged victim is a minor, and if the defendant has a protection order in place.
Online Assault
The charge of online assault is similar to cyberstalking. However, its definition isn’t quite as broad. If you’ve been accused of online assault, it means that you’re suspected of using the Internet to conduct violent acts, which may include unwanted sexual advances or threats that cause the victim to suffer fear or anxiety.
Online Sexual Exploitation of Children
Your defense lawyer will need to defend you against this charge if you’ve been accused of establishing relationships with minors online. Defendants who are charged with online sexual exploitation of children are typically accused of attempting to lure or coerce the child into a physical meeting for the purpose of committing unlawful sexual contact.