Cleveland Internet Sex Crimes Lawyer
Defending Internet Sex Charges in Ohio
One of the first questions our clients ask is whether or not their case is hopeless. This mindset comes from a couple of different places and once our Cleveland internet sex crimes lawyers have had the chance to talk to them, they learn that these cases are defensible and hiring a qualified attorney can pay huge dividends. If you’ve been charged with an internet sex crimes attorney, contact Patituce & Associates.
As former prosecutors, we understand how much pressure is on a prosecutor to secure a conviction-especially in cases like pandering obscenity or child pornography cases. The prosecutor’s office invests a huge amount of financial, and personal, resources into prosecuting these types of cases and the media eats these cases up.
All of this ignores one simple fact: just as with any case, the prosecutor still has the burden of proof.
A qualified Cleveland internet sex crimes attorney can be the difference between a conviction and freedom. At Patituce & Associates, LLC, we prepare every case, from the beginning, as if it is going to trial. We do not plan for a quick plea or to leave before the work is complete. Our job is to aggressively defend you from some of the most serious charges you can.
Almost every client we interview asks a version of “What can you promise?” We do not use a cookie-cutter approach to defense work. Each client and every case is different. To answer the question: no ethical, honest attorney would ever promise a certain result in the case. Rather, we promise to use all of our experience for you with the mindset of meeting your personal goals on the case. In fact, at our no-cost consultation, we set up and establish what your goals and expectations are so that we can tailor your defense to meet your needs.
Contact a Cleveland Internet sex crimes attorney at(440) 771-1175 to protect your name, reputation, family, and freedom.
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Ohio Internet Sex Crimes Laws
Most Internet sex crimes involve the downloading and uploading of child pornography; however, investigators almost always assume that just because child pornography has been uploaded or downloaded you were aware of it. Our Cleveland internet sex crimes lawyers are skilled at defending against false assumptions of law enforcement.
An example of this can be seen in a recent case of ours. Our client’s son made use of a sophisticated file-sharing program to legally download music from the Internet. Unfortunately, and unknown to both our client and his son, one of the music files contained a virus that allowed a remote third party to control what files were uploaded and downloaded. Clearly, this was a case that should have been dismissed—and it was.
It is incredibly important that you go with a lawyer who not only understands the law, courts, and how to defend a case generally but also a firm that understands the specific technology involved.
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Common Internet Sex Crimes in OH
- Solicitation
- Solicitation of a minor
- Disseminating matter harmful to juveniles
- Online assault
- Cyberbullying
- Cyberstalking
- Sexual exploitation of children online
- Attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor
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What is Importuning?Sometimes, police officers and detectives will pose as other people on the Internet and even sometimes try to start conversations to solicit sexual encounters. The Ohio Revised Code in section 2907.07 prohibits an individual from seeking sexual activity with minors of a certain age. The problem with these cases is that often the police, and detective, do not play fair. They might not state their “age” the entire time they are trying to trap you into one of the most damaging criminal offenses.
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Ohio Importuning Penalties
Importuning, also known as online solicitation of a minor, is a felony and the penalties may include:
- Up to 5 years in prison
- Fines up to $10,000
- Forced registration as a sex offender
- Child custody rights removed
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What is Pandering Obscenity?This crime is commonly known as child pornography in Ohio. Most often innocent people, and sometimes guilty ones too, are caught using programs such as LimeWire or Napster to download normal pornography. What they might not know is that by using these programs, they are giving other people the ability to upload and download files at their will, which means that you could unwittingly be uploading and downloading child pornography. We know how to defend you against a pandering obscenity charge, and even if you are guilty of these crimes, it is still our duty-bound job to defend you the same as we would any other person.
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How Long Can You Go to Jail for an Internet Sex Crime in OH?
As former prosecutors, we can tell you the government aggressively prosecutes cases involving Internet sex crimes. These cases come in many different forms and all can end up with sentences that can put you in prison for the rest of your life if you’re not properly defended. How long can you go to prison depends in part on what crimes you are charged with, the evidence against you, and the skill and effectiveness of your lawyers.
There are a number of different types of Internet sex crimes from child pornography to solicitation to the pandering of obscenity. In Ohio, a single charge of pandering obscenity involving a minor (child pornography) can result in you being sent to prison for eight years. If you are facing multiple charges or the possibility of a sentence well over fifty years has been seen. This is why it is important to hire our Cleveland internet sex crime lawyers, you could potentially spend the rest of your life in prison without even having hurt someone.
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Sophisticated Defense for Ohio Internet Sex Criminal Cases
These crimes often involve chat rooms or specialized peer-to-peer file-sharing programs such as LimeWire. The truth is that most Cleveland criminal defense attorneys have no idea how to defend an individual from a charge, or accusation, that they knowingly transmitted child pornography or other illegal material through one of these programs. Our Cleveland Internet sex crime attorneys are trained, and experienced, in the sophisticated nature of these allegations, and we are ready to help defend you. Do not wait to act! If you believe you, or a loved one, is being investigated for an internet sex crime you should immediately act now in order to protect your, or their, rights. Do not speak with the police, or an investigator, until you have sought legal counsel. If an investigator is speaking with you about these allegations the chances are they already believe you are guilty.
Call (440) 771-1175 to set up a free consultation with our Cleveland internet sex crimes lawyers concerning your case!
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- Martha L.
Seeking representation for federal charges against my husband led me to engage with an attorney from this firm. Swiftly connected with Joe Patituce, we made the decision to enlist his services that very day, a choice we're grateful for.
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- Cora B.
Their friendly and approachable team provided unwavering support. They worked diligently to build a robust defense, ensuring my side of the story was heard and considered!!!
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- Former Client
Cate Purdum was present, attentive, always returned my calls (I had attorneys before who never call you back), answered my questions and never ignored my calls. If I ever need an attorney in the future I will definitely go back to her.
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- Roberto M.
Catherine Meehan did an amazing job. Very responsive, friendly, and obviously very good with words. She kept me out of jail and home with my kiddo. For that I can't ever repay the favor. Much appreciated hope I never need your assistance again but if so I'll definitely give you a call. Thank you again.
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- Thomas S.
I am very satisfied with Rachelle and Joe they were talking me through my whole case and when I told them I wanted a trial they agreed and said let’s go to trial with out hesitation they were very professional and I couldn’t ask for a better law firm to have my back in my court case thank you Rachelle and Joe I highly recommend them to everybody
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- Levi G.
Joe helped my brother beat a serious RICO charge. He is simply the best criminal defense lawyer out there, and provides a clear-cut path to victory. I am extremely impressed and thankful for the hard work and dedication the team at Patituce & Associates put in on this case. It feels great to come out on the winning side, and not have to sweat a thing during the whole process. I highly recommend hiring Joe and his expert staff if you ever find yourself in any legal trouble. Thank you Joe!
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So kind and helpful! Don’t know what I would’ve done without him. Joe was kind and informative throughout the whole- Maddy P.
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- Glenn G.
I engaged Joe Patituce's services for my DUI case in Rocky River, and I couldn't have made a better choice. He and his team demonstrated excellence throughout, managing my case with remarkable skill and professionalism.
