Sex crimes in Arizona are some of the most seriously prosecuted crimes in the state. Not only could you face legal penalties after a conviction, but you could also lose your job or personal relationships. Other consequences could include issues getting a mortgage or another type of loan, making it difficult to find somewhere to live. You may want a strong defense team to stand up for you to avoid a conviction.
The Phoenix child molestation lawyers at Gurion Legal can develop a defense so you can avoid a conviction altogether. Our team has defended many people facing criminal charges and helped them reach a verdict of not guilty. Contact our team today to learn more with a free case review.
Benefits of Choosing Gurion Legal for a Child Molestation Charge
When you choose the attorneys from Gurion Legal to represent you after getting charged with child molestation, you take control of your life. Unfortunately, some people try to represent themselves through these matters and end up losing years of their life in prison. With our team by your side, we can fight hard to help you avoid a conviction.
Working with our team comes with many benefits.
We can provide:
- We have years of experience as Board Certified Criminal Law Specialists.
- Each case gets the personal attention it needs. We never take on more cases than we can dedicate an appropriate amount of time to.
- Our clients rank as our top priority. We can listen carefully to your version of events and keep you informed about your legal options.
- We provide free consultations to potential clients. If you have questions or need more information about how a lawyer can help, you can get answers through a consultation. You have no obligation to choose our firm after a consultation. We want you to choose us if you feel we offer the right fit for your case.
You can receive other benefits if you choose an attorney from our firm as your Phoenix child molestation attorney. You can rest assured our team can do everything in our power to defend your freedom and avoid a conviction.
How Our Legal Team Can Defend You
Soon after your arrest or investigation begins, you may want to reach out to an attorney. At our firm, we can get to work on your case immediately. We can handle communications with law enforcement, so you don’t have to. Having us handle communications with investigators can help you avoid saying anything that could hurt your case.
Our attorneys can take most of the tasks regarding legal matters off your hands. When you hire us as your attorneys, we can:
- Support you through interrogations. We recommend waiting to speak to law enforcement until we arrive. Our attorneys can ensure we protect your rights through the entirety of interrogations.
- We can represent you through initial proceedings. The prosecution could offer you a plea deal to avoid a trial. We can advise you on whether the deal they offer is fair. Then, we can stand by your side through the hearing, where you state your plea.
- Our attorneys can investigate your case and review the collected evidence. We can build a solid case to defend you against the accusations through our investigations.
- If your case goes to trial, we can represent you. We can bring the defense we develop through our investigation to show you’re not guilty of what someone has accused you of.
Having an attorney by your side who has handled other child molestation cases can help you tremendously. Our attorneys know how the prosecution builds and presents their cases and can fight for you. We can come prepared to show the judge and jury that you do not deserve to get a conviction for the crimes law enforcement charged you with.
Child Molestation in Phoenix Defined
Arizona law defines child molestation as when a person knowingly and intentionally engages in or causes another to participate in sexual contact with a child under fifteen. Sexual contact and sexual intercourse refer to two different things, however. Sexual contact means any direct or indirect touching, fondling, or manipulating of any part of the genitals or anus. This could also include using an object to engage in this contact.
Child molestation can lead to a class 2 felony conviction.
Arizona law states that people who commit this crime could face 24 years for a first-time conviction and up to 35 years in prison after a second or subsequent conviction.
Other punishments could include:
- Probation
- Community service
- Having to join the Arizona sex offender registry
To avoid facing these consequences, you may want to have a defense attorney stand by your side. At our firm, we can get to work on your case immediately so you feel supported throughout.
Possible Defenses to Child Molestation Charges
When you work with the team at Gurion Legal, we can develop a strong defense against your charges. We could use several potential defenses to defend you. Of course, we could tailor each defensive strategy based on your case’s evidence and other factors.
Potential defenses we could use to defend you could include:
- No sexual contact with the child occurred
- Someone falsely accused you
When we review the evidence, we can determine if one or more of these defensive strategies could work for you.
No Sexual Contact With the Child Occurred
Sometimes, people get accused of crimes even though no sexual contact occurred.
Reasons for this situation could include:
- The touching was not of an intimate body part.
- The touching was not for arousal. For example, an adult may check a child because they had an injury or if they accidentally touched a private body part during a contact sport or game.
The law understands that accidents happen. If you’re in a similar situation, our attorneys can obtain the evidence needed to prove you did not sexually touch a child.
Someone Falsely Accused You
Misunderstandings and false accusations of child molestation could ruin someone’s life. Unfortunately, these false accusations happen more commonly than some might think. Someone may also falsely accuse another person of a crime they didn’t commit, especially if they have ulterior motives for doing so.
Common reasons why false accusations of child molestation happen include:
- A child misinterpreted what happened. If a young child makes a comment or statement that someone touched them, their parents or other adults typically believe them. The child could also have misinterpreted the situation. If so, our attorneys can explain and provide evidence as to what happened.
- An adult made a false claim during a child custody dispute. Many child custody disputes can get contentious if both parents want more time with the children. One parent could accuse another of child molestation to help their custody case.
- An adult could make a false claim during divorce proceedings. When divorces get contentious, one person could attempt to harm the other or get more in the divorce by making a child molestation accusation. If this happens, our attorneys could provide evidence as to why someone made this false allegation.
While it’s important to listen to children when they make child molestation accusations, it’s also important to review the evidence. Our child molestation attorneys in Phoenix can ensure we build a solid defense if someone falsely accuses you.
We Can Help You Avoid the Consequences of a Child Molestation Conviction
Having a criminal conviction on your record not only puts you at risk of serving jail time, probation, community service, or fines, but you could also face personal consequences. These consequences could affect you for the rest of your life.
Examples of long-term consequences of a criminal conviction include:
- Consequences with your personal relationships. If you get convicted of child molestation, your friends and family could view you in a different light. This could cause them to not want to spend time with you. You could lose many friendships after a criminal conviction.
- You could have to move. Many convicted of child molestation or other crimes against children must register with the sex offender registry. Because of this, they can’t live near schools or parks. If you live near one of these places, you must move to ensure you don’t disobey those rules.
- You could struggle to find a place to rent. When someone fills out a rental application, the landlord may run a background check. If your background check shows you have a criminal conviction, they might not allow you to live on their property.
- You could struggle to obtain a loan. This includes any type of loan, such as a car loan, mortgage, student loan, or personal loan. Lenders run background checks on potential customers and might deny a loan application if they see a criminal history.
- You could get deported. If you immigrated to America, having a criminal conviction on your record could lead to deportation. You could immediately get denied from remaining in the country after a conviction.
- You could lose your job. You could get fired if your job requires a certain security clearance or if your employer wants people with clean backgrounds. Once you’re fired, you might also face difficulties finding a new job if potential employers run a background check.
- You can’t travel to specific countries around the world. Some countries don’t allow people who have criminal convictions into their country. For instance, you could not travel to Canada.
- You cannot vote or perform other civil duties. A criminal conviction could prevent you from serving on a jury or holding public office.
Having to register on the sex offender registry can make your life very complicated. If you move to a new area, your neighbors could find out and not want to form relationships with you. This could severely affect your relationships with others.
What to Do After Getting Charged With Child Molestation
If someone accuses you of molesting a child, you must understand your legal options. Just because you get accused of a crime doesn’t mean your life is over. However, you must remember that anything you say can and will get used against you in a court of law.
While pleading your case to interrogators might seem the right thing to do, it isn’t. Even if you don’t realize it, you could say something they could use against you later. Therefore, a more beneficial step you can take involves contacting a Phoenix child molestation lawyer at Gurion Legal.
When facing charges that could affect your future, you may want to hire an attorney to protect your freedom. Having someone on your team who knows the steps to take can give you a better chance of not going to jail or paying large fines. It can also help you with the other consequences that having a conviction on your record could cause.
Contact Our Firm for a Free Consultation About Child Molestation Charges
If you’re facing child molestation charges, you might not know who to turn to. You might believe you will no longer have a life. Thankfully, you could have legal options. Because you have received a child molestation charge doesn’t mean you have to deal with a criminal conviction. The lawyers at Gurion Legal can defend you. In addition, if someone made false allegations or misinterpreted the situation, we can help. Reach out to a Phoenix sex crimes lawyer for more information.
Contact us today at (480) 800-0020 for a free consultation and to discuss your legal options. Our criminal defense attorneys can provide the compassion and support you need during this trying time. We can help you feel confident that you could beat these charges and seek a not-guilty verdict from the jury if your case goes to trial. This way, you can move on with your life without worrying about the consequences of having a criminal conviction on your record.
