Los Angeles Child Molestation Attorney

If you are charged with child molestation in California, you need serious and experienced legal representation immediately. If you’re convicted of child molestation, jail or prison is a real likelihood. For more than a decade, sex crimes attorney, Douglas Miranda has aggressively represented clients charged with child molestation. He is the experienced criminal defense attorney who can address your legal needs and develop a smart, effective strategy for your defense.

WHAT ACTS CONSTITUTE CHILD MOLESTATION IN CALIFORNIA?

Child sex crime-related charges are extremely serious. Child molestation charges California are also referred to as lewd acts with a child under 14.

For you to be charged with lewd acts with a child under the age of 14, prosecutors must prove that you intentionally touched the child’s body.  That touching can be either on the bare skin or through the clothes. Alternatively, prosecutors must prove that you intentionally caused the child to touch his or her body or your body, or someone else’s body. These acts must have been committed with the intention of arousing, yourself or a child.  In order for child molestation charges to be filed by the District Attorney’s office, victims must be under the age of 14.

Remember, that touching doesn’t have to involve the child’s private areas. It can be anywhere on the body. Even touching a child’s arm can be considered a child molestation act, if prosecutors are able to prove that it was sexual for you in nature.

If a prosecutor can convince a jury that you verbally “annoyed” a child for the purpose or with the intention of sexual arousal or gratification, you could serve a year in jail and be fined $5,000. If you are charged with molesting or annoying a child in the Los Angeles area, you will be in serious legal trouble, and you’ll need to take action immediately. Contact an experienced criminal defense attorney immediately.

Under California law (Penal Code 647.6), the words “annoy” and “molest” both refer to conduct or speech motivated by sexual interest in a child or in children generally. Examples of “annoying” a child under 18 might include:

• soliciting a child to perform a sex act or offering to perform a sex act on a child;
• exposing one’s self in a location where children are likely to be; and
• asking a minor to talk about his or her sexual history or preferences.

To be convicted of annoying or molesting a child, the state must prove that you acted or spoke out of sexual interest. The law is not meant to punish innocent behavior or the questions a minor might be asked by a doctor, therapist, lawyer, or police officer acting in a professional capacity.

Remember, charges of child molestation in California are extremely serious. However, you can successfully defend these charges. For instance, an experienced Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer may be able to establish that you had no sexual intentions and that the contact does not constitute molestation or sexual abuse. Child victims are often less reliable than adults and there’s often a question as to whether a child has been coerced or coached in his or her testimony, so this can make child abuse and child sexual assault cases a bit more challenging.

If you have been arrested for child molestation, don’t hesitate to get in touch with a criminal defense lawyer in Los Angeles immediately.

 IF YOU ARE ACCUSED BY A CHILD

In California, what the law calls “lewd and lascivious conduct” with a minor is a crime with serious ramifications. Specifically, the crime is touching a child for the purpose of sexual gratification. If you are charged with lewd and lascivious conduct in southern California, you’ll need quality legal representation at once. You’ll need to speak with an experienced California criminal defense attorney based in Los Angeles.

If you are convicted for lewd and lascivious conduct in California, the penalties are quite severe. If the alleged victim was under 14 years old, you could serve up to eight years in prison, and the conviction counts as a strike under the California Three Strikes Law. If force was used, the prison term can be extended to ten years. If the offender committed three or more lewd acts in a three-month period, the prison sentence can last 16 years. If the alleged victim was 14 or 15 years old, and the defendant was at least 10 years older than the child, a conviction could result in three years in prison. If the alleged victim was 16 or 17 years old, the charge is typically filed as a sexual battery or as a statutory rape.

Just because you are charged with lewd and lascivious conduct, it doesn’t mean that you’ll be convicted. It’s possible that an accuser is mistaken or simply lying; that someone else committed the abuse and you are a victim of “perpetrator substitution”; or that a third party has “coached” the minor into making the allegation against you. If you or someone you love is accused of lewd and lascivious conduct – or any other crime against a child – in the Los Angeles area, get legal help right away. Contact an experienced California criminal defense attorney based in Los Angeles without delay.

ONE HUNDRED PERCENT DEDICATION

Few other crimes carry the social stigma of child molestation. Few crimes also carry the possibility of such severe punishment, including years in prison and lifetime registration as a sex offender. Since allegations of child molestation are so serious, it’s imperative to have aggressive, hard-working legal help if you or a loved one has been accused of molesting a child. Los Angeles child molestation attorney, Douglas Miranda has received extensive training in this sensitive area of criminal law. He’s also represented thousands of criminal defendants and will be 100 percent dedicated to your case from day one.

If you or your loved one has already been charged or if you’re involved in an investigation, do not take chances on your defense. Investigators are probably already preparing their case; by getting legal help now, our legal team will have an opportunity to gather evidence and build a strong defense. In some cases, we can even highlight the inaccurate nature of false child molestation or sexual abuse allegations before criminal charges are filed.

SET UP A FREE CONSULTATION TODAY

If you’ve been charged with child molestation, put an experienced Los Angeles criminal defense attorney to work for you. After assessing your case, Douglas Miranda will outline your legal options and begin to develop the most effective possible defense. At the Miranda Rights Law Firm, we take our responsibility to our clients seriously, and we want to put our experience to work for you. To schedule a free case consultation with an experienced Los Angeles child molestation attorney, contact us today. Send an email, or call 213-255-5838. Se habla español.