Cecil County Solicitation Lawyer
Solicitation and all crimes connected with prostitution look bad on your record. The penalties may be quite severe, notably if minors are involved. If you are facing solicitation charges, it may be vital to understanding the nature and ramifications of the charges and your options for fighting the charges.
A Cecil County solicitation lawyer could help. A knowledgeable criminal defense attorney could analyze your situation, devise a defensive strategy, and fight to keep your record.
What is Solicitation?
Each state describes crimes involving prostitution somewhat differently. Maryland Code, Criminal Law §11-301 defines the term “solicit” as “urging, advising, inducing, encouraging, requesting, or commanding another.” Maryland Code, Criminal Law §11-306, also specifies that individuals must not “solicit or offer to procure or solicit for prostitution.”
The crime of solicitation may occur when someone asks, urges, or orders another person to commit an act of prostitution. Even offering to ask or order another to commit an act of prostitution could be considered a violation of this statute.
As a Cecil County attorney can further explain, solicitation is treated as a misdemeanor offense. Criminal penalties may include up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $500.
Prostitution and Assignation
Soliciting is a crime in which one person asks or compels another to take action. The action may involve either prostitution or assignation. Prostitution is defined very broadly to potentially include performing any type of sexual activity for hire.
Assignation may occur when someone makes an appointment to engage in prostitution and takes one act in furtherance of that appointment. When these definitions are taken into consideration, offering to ask someone to set up an appointment for a minor sexual act could be considered solicitation.
Engaging in prostitution or assignation may also be treated as misdemeanor offenses. Other misdemeanors with similar penalties may include allowing a building to be used for prostitution or allowing someone to enter a building to engage in prostitution. A Cecil County solicitation attorney could help a person understand the difference between prostitution and assignation in a solicitation case.
More Serious Offenses Connected with Solicitation and Prostitution
Concerns with exploitation, particularly in situations involving minors, has prompted lawmakers to enact laws with very severe penalties when there are circumstances that suggest people may be engaged in human trafficking. Anyone mixed up in a human trafficking situation could be in real trouble.
Several different types of actions violate the human trafficking prohibitions of Md. Code, Crim. Law §11-303. These include:
- Taking another person someplace to engage in prostitution
- Persuading or encouraging someone to be taken to a place for prostitution
- Causing someone to believe that failure to participate in a sexually explicit performance will result in restraint or harm
- Concealing or destroying travel documents as part of a human trafficking scheme
While some human trafficking offenses are nominally referred to as misdemeanors, the penalties may include imprisonment for up to 10 years and a fine of up to $5,000. When minors are involved, the offenses could be treated as felonies and the potential prison term extends to 25 years, while the maximum fine triples to $15,000. An attorney in Cecil County could advise a defendant on how to proceed after being charged solicitation.
Work with a Cecil County Solicitation Defense Attorney
While solicitation was considered a common and minor offense in the past, technology has changed the impact a conviction may have on an individual. Records of criminal charges are easily available online and can cause a host of unwanted consequences.
It may be wise to take all available actions to fight the charges and minimize damage. A Cecil County solicitation lawyer could devise a defensive strategy for your situation to fight for your rights. To get started, call now.