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Sex Crimes Defense Attorney
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Arizona takes sex crimes seriously. You must also take it seriously if you face an investigation for a sex crime or a sex crime charge. Simply being charged with a sex crime can stain your reputation, and a conviction can have drastic consequences. If you receive a conviction for a sex crime, you could face months or years in prison, not to mention the negative effects on your reputation and personal relationships.
If you face allegations related to a sex crime, you should not rely on your wits to get you out of this situation. You can choose a public defender, but they may have no experience handling cases like yours. Contact Gurion Legal to learn how our sex crimes defense attorney can help. Our team can advocate for your rights, provide you with a personalized legal strategy, and fight for your freedom.
How a Lawyer Can Help With Your Sex Crime Case
You may feel alone when facing sex crime charges or an investigation for one. You may want a strong advocate who can work hard to keep you from the serious consequences of a conviction.
At Gurion Legal, our defense attorney can help with your sex crime case by:
- Listening to your side of the story: Our lawyer can listen with compassion and attention to learn what happened, taking everything in from your perspective.
- Investigating the allegations against you: We can interview witnesses and gather evidence such as DNA, security camera footage, credit card statements, and receipts from shops, hotels, and restaurants to help sort out what happened. We could work to definitively rule you out as a suspect.
- Crafting a personalized legal strategy: We can create a legal strategy tailored to your case based on our findings. We can research and propose potential defenses and build a strong case for you.
- Fighting for a positive outcome: Your lawyer can work hard to get your charges dismissed or reduced even when the odds do not seem favorable.
Potential Defenses for Sex Crimes Charges
If you want to fight back against allegations of sex crimes, you should build a strong defense. Our attorney can work with you to craft an aggressive legal strategy to preserve your freedom and reputation.
We may consider these defenses:
- A mistaken claim of exposure or indecency: Charges of indecent exposure or public sexual indecency often rely on what a witness claims to have seen, but people make mistakes. For example, they may think they saw you touching your genitals while adjusting your clothing. We can investigate how close the witness was to you, whether they had a clear line of sight, and whether it was dusky or dark at the time.
- Credible alibi: If you can credibly place yourself in a different location at the time of the sex crime, you have a good chance of clearing your name. To support your claims, we can look for credit card statements, store receipts, and eyewitness statements to confirm that you could not have committed the sex crime at the alleged time and place.
- Mistaken identity: Your accuser may have been the victim of a sex crime, but that does not mean you were the perpetrator. Many victims do not get a clear look at their attacker, and memories blur and fade quickly after a sex crime. Our lawyer can look for evidence that your accuser mistakenly identified you. DNA evidence obtained from blood, semen, skin, hair, and fingernails can rule you out as the offender.
- Consent issues: Many sex crimes cases rest on whether or not the sexual contact was between two consenting adults. Unfortunately, some people regret engaging in sexual activity after the fact and make false claims of sexual assault. We could show that both of you consented to the contact.
- False accusations: Contentious situations such as divorce proceedings, child custody disputes, and many other situations can prompt people to accuse someone of sex crimes. We can investigate allegations against you for evidence that your accuser falsely named you in hopes of influencing the outcome of a situation like this.
Flawed testimony of a child: Adults can easily persuade children. If the sex charges you face involve a child, we could argue that another adult unduly influenced them to create a story. We could also demonstrate that the child exaggerated or lied.
What Is a Sex Crime?
Arizona has criminalized various acts ranging from public exposure to sexual assault. Below, you’ll find information about sex crime charges and the legal consequences anyone could face for a conviction.
Indecent Exposure
Under state law, a person commits indecent exposure if they expose their genitals or anus, or a woman’s areola or nipple of her breast, in the presence of another person. They must also show reckless inconsideration about whether the other person would reasonably be offended by this exposure. Breastfeeding mothers receive specific protections from charges of indecent exposure.
The charges for indecent exposure vary based on the age of the person who saw the exposed breasts or genitals and whether the defendant has any prior convictions.
- Class 1 misdemeanor charges apply if the person who saw the breasts or genitals was 15 years or older. People convicted of a Class 1 misdemeanor face six months in prison.
- Class 6 felony charges apply if the victim is under 15 years old. Sexual abuse of a child under age 15 is a dangerous crime against children. Offenders can face a prison sentence of 2.5 to 7.5 years. Prison sentences for continuous abuse range from 39 to 81 years.
Public Sexual Indecency
Arizona law defines public sexual indecency as intentionally or knowingly engaging in sexual contact, oral sexual contact, sexual intercourse, or bestiality in the presence of another person. They must also show reckless inconsideration for whether that person would be reasonably offended or alarmed.
The charges for public sexual indecency depend on the age of the person exposed to the act and whether the defendant has any prior convictions.
- Class 1 misdemeanor charges apply if someone over 15 witnessed the act. People convicted of a class 1 misdemeanor face six months in prison.
- Class 5 felony charges apply if a minor under 15 witnessed the act. Prison sentences for class 5 felonies range from six months to 2.5 years. If the defendant has two or more prior convictions for public sexual indecency, indecent exposure, or indecent exposure to a minor, prison sentences range from six to 15 years.
Sexual Abuse
Under Arizona law, engaging in sexual contact with a person aged 15 or more without their consent (or any sexual contact involving only the female breast of a person under age 15) constitutes sexual abuse. If the defendant holds a position of trust, he or she cannot use the consent of a person aged 15, 16, or 17 as a defense.
Sexual abuse charges depend on the age of the victim.
- Class 5 felony charges apply if the victim is 15 years or older; the offender could face six months to 2.5 years in prison.
- Class 3 felony charges apply if the victim is under 15 years old. Sexual abuse of a child under age 15 is a dangerous crime against children. Offenders can face a prison sentence of 2.5 to 7.5 years. Prison sentences for continuous abuse range from 39 to 81 years.
Sexual Conduct With a Minor
Arizona law defines sexual conduct with a minor as intentionally or knowingly engaging in sexual intercourse or oral sexual intercourse with someone under 18.
Therefore, the penalty depends on the age of the minor.
- Class 2 felony charges apply if the minor is under age 15 or if the minor is age 15 or older and the offender was in a position of trust. Suppose the minor was 12 years old or younger. In that case, the defendant could face life in prison with no chance of a suspended sentence, probation, pardon, or release from confinement without specific authorization.
- Class 6 felony charges apply if the minor is 15 years old.
Sexual Assault
Under state law, people commit sexual assault when they engage in sexual intercourse or oral sexual contact with someone else without their consent.
It results in a Class 2 felony, and the penalties depend on the offender’s history of prior convictions, whether they inflicted serious physical injury, and whether they administered drugs to the victim.
- With no prior felony convictions: The offender faces a prison sentence of 5.25 to 14 years.
- With one prior felony conviction: The offender faces a prison sentence of 7 to 21 years.
- With two or more prior felony convictions: The offender faces a prison sentence of 14 to 28 years.
- With the intention to do serious physical injury to the victim: The offender faces a sentence of life in prison with no possibility of a suspended sentence, probation, pardon, or release from confinement without specific authorization.
- With the intentional administration of these drugs, such as flunitrazepam, gamma hydroxybutyrate, or ketamine hydrochloride: The offender’s prison sentence will increase by three years.
Child Molestation
Arizona defines child molestation as intentionally engaging in sexual contact or causing a person to engage in sexual contact, other than with the female breast, of a child under age 15. It is a Class 2 felony and a dangerous crime against children. First-time offenders face prison sentences of 10 to 24 years. Offenders with a prior felony conviction face 21 to 35 years in prison.
Sex Offenders in Arizona Must Register With the State
The Arizona Department of Public Safety maintains a registry of sex offenders available to the public on its website. By law, the department must maintain this registry and update it annually.
It includes the offender’s:
- Name
- Address
- Age
- Offense committed
- Risk assessment
- Current photograph
If you face a sex crime conviction, you could spend the rest of your life on this registry. Your peers, neighbors, potential employers, potential landlords, and anyone else you meet will have access to your personal information. As a result, you may struggle to find a good job or a nice place to live, and people may judge you without even getting to know you. Our defense lawyer can fight to keep you off this registry.
Gurion Legal Offers Free Case Consultations
At Gurion Legal, we firmly believe everyone has the right to a strong defense. Our team offers free case consultations, so contact our office today if you need legal assistance with your sex crimes case. We understand that being charged with a sex crime or even being under investigation for one can feel overwhelming, and we want to help.
We also understand that two sides exist in every story, and we want to hear yours. You can tell our lawyer in your own words what happened, and we can give you an honest assessment of the situation. We can advise you on the next steps in the legal process and the best way for you to minimize your legal consequences.
Gurion Legal Can Defend You Against Sex Crimes Charges
If you face an investigation or have been charged with a sex crime, you cannot afford to take your situation lightly. You likely want to fight back against these charges with a strong defense to protect your reputation, freedom, and future. Our defense attorney with Gurion Legal can listen to your side of the story, investigate the charges against you, and craft a legal strategy to minimize the consequences you face.
Contact us today for a free case review: (480) 800-0020. You can get started on building your case today. The call comes with no obligation.
Gurion Legal, PLLC Office Location
4323 N 12th St Suite 100
Phoenix, AZ 85014
Phone: 480-800-0020