As the internet has become more and more prevalent in our society, so have internet sex-related offenses.  People have through of all sorts of different ways to either satisfy their interest in sex or to make money off sex crimes.

Sex Trafficking and Child Pornography

Whether it be sex trafficking, child pornography or whatever other thing that somebody can think of.  We've even moved into the realm of individuals who have videotaped their partners having sex with them and attempted to get revenge and posted those videos on the internet.  So, the law has had to cover that.

In other words, the police, the prosecutors, the judges, the legislature, have laws that are specifically designed to catch people who are involved in internet sex-related offenses.

This is a relatively new area of the law, as compared to other areas of the law; however, don't be fooled.  The authorities have sophisticated means of tracking those individuals who are committing sex crimes on the internet.

So, if you've been arrested and it looks you're going to be charged or you've been charged with some sort of an internet sex-related crime, you obviously want to get an attorney because most of these crimes are very serious.

Human Trafficking – California Penal Code 236.1

For example, sex trafficking, commonly known as human trafficking under California Penal Code 236.1 (CALCRIM 1243), where people are using the internet and various other platforms to either traffic under-age girls or over-age women to buyers who are attempting to have sex with these women.

These are the type of offenses that the police in law enforcement and even judges are on guard to punish very severely with state prison, sex registration under California Penal Code 290 and whatever else it can think of that makes sense in trying  stamp out sex trafficking-related offenses.

Revenge Porn – California Penal Code 647(j)(4)

Also, revenge videos that people are putting on the internet of their girlfriend/boyfriend, husband/wife, in order to embarrass them are being prosecuted at a record rate under the classification of revenge warrant.  This is known as “revenge porn” described under California Penal Code 647(j)(4).

So, the internet crimes that are out there — like for example, people who are going in chat rooms and trying to lure under-aged individuals to have sex with them — they don't realize that law enforcement has infiltrated the internet.  They're posing in chat rooms as young children.

They're putting ads on Craig's List to try to catch people who are involved in trying to get sex for money.  They're posing as john's in prostitution-sting operations on the internet.  The list just goes on and on and on.

So, if you've been caught up in this web, you immediately have to protect yourself and do damage control and see if you have a defense, and obviously retain an attorney to employ that defense for you, even if you do not have a defense to the crime and they've got the goods on you, there's so many different things that could happen to you.

The only thing that is going to make a difference is your advocate — your attorney who you hired to defend you.  That attorney can do a number of things — file certain motions that might be relevant to your case, and certainly bring to the attention of the prosecutor and judge mitigating circumstances surrounding you and your particular case.

So, if you've been charged with an internet sex-related offense, pick up the phone.  Call the Hedding Law Firm.  I'm happy to meet with you.  We can discuss everything, look at what your bests options are and get you out of the criminal justice system as fast as possible.