Prince George’s Solicitation Lawyer
Being accused of soliciting a prostitute can be personally and professionally embarrassing, and it can also lead to criminal charges. If you have been charged with solicitation, contact a Prince George’s County solicitation lawyer who can help you fight to preserve and restore your good name and who can aggressively defend you against these serious criminal charges.
Call today to begin building your defense with a dedicated criminal lawyer.
About Prostitution Charges
Arrests for solicitation of prostitution are frequently the result of law enforcement stings. While prostitution stings may include undercover officers posing as prostitutes in person, they can also involve internet stings.
During an online prostitution sting, law enforcement may place false advertisements for escorts, massages, and other services often associated with prostitution. When a person responds to the online classified ad, he or she may be arrested for soliciting a prostitute. *The most popular sites: BackPages and Craigslist
When you hire a solicitation lawyer in PG County, you hire an advocate who can challenge the legality of the online investigation and work to dispute any evidence that you were seeking any illegal sexual activity in response to an online classified ad.
Solicitation charges can disrupt families and relationships, but with aggressive legal representation, you can counter the charges and restore your reputation.
Solicitation Laws in PG County
The state’s general prostitution statute is found in Maryland Code § 11-306. Under this law, it is a misdemeanor to engage in prostitution or solicit prostitution. Whether a person is offering sex acts in exchange for money (prostitution) or offering money in exchange for sex acts (solicitation)—the crimes are considered equal under the law.
In Maryland Code § 11-301, the state defines several terms associated with prostitution and solicitation. These terms include:
- Assignation, or making an appointment to engage in prostitution
- Solicitation, or “urging, advising, inducing, encouraging, requesting, or commanding” someone to engage in prostitution
Because of these laws and definitions, a person can be charged with assignation or solicitation of prostitution even if no sexual contact occurs. Assignation and solicitation are two acts which allow a person to be charged following a law enforcement sting.
Solicitation is misdemeanor that carries a maximum sentence of one year in jail and a fine of up to $500.
Common Defenses in Solicitation Cases
While the maximum penalty for conviction of solicitation in Maryland is a year in jail, it is almost unheard of for a person convicted of soliciting a prostitute to serve anywhere near that amount of time.
However, any jail time is too much, and an experienced PG County solicitation attorney can work for a dismissal or acquittal or can negotiate minimal sentencing that could keep you out of jail.
There are several viable defense strategies in a solicitation case, and your defense attorney can uncover the best tactic for your specific case:
- Entrapment
- No offer or exchange of cash or valuables in return for sex
- No attempt to solicit, plan, or engage in illegal sexual activity
- A lack of knowledge that the services advertised were a cover for illegal prostitution
It is the prosecution’s burden to prove that the defendant was soliciting illegal sexual activity, and your attorney can hold prosecutors accountable to that burden.
Speak with a Prince George’s County Solicitation Attorney Today
Contact our Prince George’s county solicitation lawyers if you’re facing serious charges and are interested in putting forward a strong defense. The sooner you call, the more quickly we’ll be able to start gathering information that can be instrumental in developing your case.