Accusations or an arrest for solicitation can be embarrassing and stressful and can have lasting consequences for your personal and professional life. If you wish to overcome the charges, a defense attorney at Rolle & DeLorenzo can help.
Whether the arrest or charges resulted from an undercover operation or a misunderstanding, we can help you fight against the charges you face. A consultation with a seasoned Frederick solicitation lawyer from our firm can help you evaluate your defense options.
Prostitution involves performing sexual acts, contact, or intercourse for hire, and solicitation relates to urging or commanding another to engage in prostitution-related activities. To win a conviction, the state does not have to show that money exchanged hands, that the sexual activity occurred, or that there was a complete agreement.
The state must prove specific elements to establish guilt in a solicitation case. Under Maryland Criminal Law § 11-306, the prosecutor must prove that you knowingly engaged in the act. This means that you understood what you were doing, and it was not a mistake or an accident. The prosecutor must also prove that you solicited another person, meaning you induced, requested, or encouraged that person to engage in prostitution.
Solicitation is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and fines of up to $500. Our Frederick attorneys for solicitation cases can review the specifics of your case and help determine the most effective defense strategy.
Sexual solicitation of a minor is a separate, more serious charge, and a conviction results in a felony on your permanent criminal record. Charges result from knowingly commanding, authorizing, enticing, urging, or requesting by any means a minor to engage in prohibited sexual activities. It could be in person, by phone, by mail, by computer, or via any other electronic device.
The state must establish the key elements of solicitation listed above, and penalties for a first offense include up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $25,000. A second or subsequent offense could result in up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $50,000. A conviction also results in a requirement to register as a sex offender for up to 25 years. Given these serious consequences, our criminal defense legal team that handles solicitation cases in Frederick can evaluate whether the state has sufficient evidence to support the charge.
You can also face solicitation charges as a common law offense, which involves urging or requesting another person to commit a serious crime, particularly felony offenses. Examples include solicitation to commit murder, particularly first-degree murder. Even if the crime never occurs, solicitation to commit murder is independently prosecutable. The state would need to show the Court that you knowingly urged or encouraged another person to commit the crime.
The prosecution could establish guilt without proving that you committed any overt act to persuade another individual to commit the offense. Penalties vary depending on the underlying crime, but felony-level crimes, such as murder, carry more severe and life-altering charges. After reviewing the details of your Frederick solicitation charge, including the circumstances of your arrest and the state’s evidence, our lawyers can tailor a strategy to defend you against the charges.
Solicitation refers to attempting to engage a prostitute for some sexual act in exchange for money or property. Police officers could arrest you even if you did not actually do anything of a sexual nature. Therefore, anyone could face charges based on nothing more than a conversation or being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
An arrest and the possibility of conviction are always stressful, but you have the right to defend yourself against the charges you face. Contact Rolle & DeLorenzo today to schedule an appointment with a Frederick solicitation lawyer from our team.
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