Recently, you read in our blog about the man who was indicted for allegedly soliciting an Anne Arundel teen on the Internet. The man, based in California, has now been indicted for allegedly sexually soliciting the 15-year-old girl. Her father was the one who contacted police; he believed that the two had planned to meet each other.
The man, 25, who meant to meet the girl had plans to come to Maryland. He indicated that he knew her age, but he had not yet met the teen. Accusations that he intended to hurt or have a sexual relationship with the teen haven’t been talked about, other than implying that was the case.
Being accused of crimes like this can have severe consequences. This man ended up in jail on the charges, for example, and he could face fines or up to 10 years in prison. The Maryland Criminal Law Article 3-324 states that if you are charged with the online solicitation of a minor or law enforcement officer posing as a minor to engage in unlawful activities, you can face serious penalties.
With a felony conviction, your fines could be up to $25,000 on top of the long prison sentence. When you’re freed, you could even face a lifetime of supervision that may not even be called for based on your situation.
When facing this kind of problem, knowing all your legal options is the best route to a successful defense. Your situation may be getting taken out of context or have been misunderstood; that shouldn’t result in a lifetime of punishment. For more information, click to read this page.
Source: Waechter Law Firm, “Online Solicitation of a Minor in Maryland” Aug. 27, 2014
