Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child, located at C.R.S. 18-3-405.4, is committed in Denver and across Colorado whenever someone asks or entices a child under the age of fifteen to expose, or observe, or touch their own intimate parts or another person's intimate parts while communicating with the actor. The actor would have to be communicating with the child over a computer, phone, instant message or text. The victim also must be at least four years younger than the actor. If you are facing charges of Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child anywhere in Colorado, call a top Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child lawyer at Sawyer Legal Group, LLC to protect your future.
Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child Conviction in Douglas County: All Elements Must Be Proven for a Conviction
To be convicted of Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child in Douglas County or any other area in Colorado, there are many elements which must be proven. First, prosecutors must prove you knowingly invited or enticed a child to do something. “Knowingly” means you were aware your conduct was certain to cause a specific result. Only a skilled criminal defense lawyer can help you understand fully what the definition of “knowingly” means and in some cases, use it in your defense. The next element district attorneys must prove is that you used a computer or phone to communicate with a child. They would also have to prove the child was under fifteen years old and at least four years younger than you. Finally, prosecutors must prove that intimate parts were exposed, touched, or observed. These can include either your intimate parts, another person's intimate parts, or the child's intimate parts. Please remember that in many cases the government cannot completely prove their case without your help. Therefore, never answer any of their questions. Why help them convict you of this serious offense? You cannot talk them out of charging you, so it is always best to remain silent.
Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child charges are serious. You need an experienced criminal defense lawyer to defend you.
Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child Sentencing in Arapahoe County
Class 4 Felony
Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child is a class 4 felony in Arapahoe County and across Colorado. A class 4 felony is punishable by four to six years in the Colorado Department of Corrections and up to $500,000 in fines.
Sex Offender Registration
Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child is also a sexual offense. This means anyone convicted will have to register as a sex offender and undergo harsh Sex Offender Management Board (SOMB) treatment.
Attorney for Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child in Jefferson County: Be Careful Which Apps and Social Media You Use
In Jefferson County and across Colorado, always be wary when downloading apps or using social media. Like Sexual Exploitation of a Child charges, charges of Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child are common for teens and children. Charges can be filed after a juvenile or young person sends a naked picture or exposes their intimate parts over text or programs like Skype or Snapchat. Teens may think their actions are anonymous and harmless entertainment, but they can actually lead to criminal charges fast. Other uses of social media, like Facebook, can lead to criminal charges as well. Asking a child under the age of fifteen over Facebook for a sexually explicit photo, for example, can lead to criminal charges. Internet instant messaging or chat rooms can seem private. But, if you're under investigation, it's not hard to find anything that has been deleted. And, anything in writing (like a child admitting their age to you or you asking for a nude photo) can put you in handcuffs.
Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child Lawyer in Brighton and Adams County: Police Can Be Deceptive Online
Further, in Brighton, Adams County, and across Colorado, police often go undercover and pretend to be children online. When talking with you online, they try to meet all of the elements of Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child to collect evidence against you. For example, a police officer may pretend to be a child on Facebook chat and state their age as being 14. If you then offer to send the child a nude photo of yourself, thinking the child is under 15 years old, and he or she is four years younger than you, the police may then have enough evidence to arrest you for Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child. If police take things too far, to the point where their actions are unlawful, our criminal defense attorneys can sometimes use the Entrapment defense. Entrapment occurs when a person would not have committed Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child without the enticement of police. Only the best Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child lawyer at Sawyer Legal Group, LLC can defend you if facing Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child charges. Call us today.
Related Resources:
Learn more about other internet sexual offenses:
- Internet Luring of a Child – C.R.S 18-3-306
- Enticement of a Child – C.R.S 18-3-305
- Sexual Exploitation of a Child – C.R.S. 18-6-403
Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child Colorado Statute – C.R.S. 18-3-405.4
(1) An actor commits internet sexual exploitation of a child if the actor knowingly importunes, invites, or entices through communication via a computer network or system, telephone network, or data network or by a text message or instant message, a person whom the actor knows or believes to be under fifteen years of age and at least four years younger than the actor, to:
(a) Expose or touch the person's own or another person's intimate parts while communicating with the actor via a computer network or system, telephone network, or data network or by a text message or instant message; or
(b) Observe the actor's intimate parts via a computer network or system, telephone network, or data network or by a text message or instant message.
(2) (Deleted by amendment, L. 2009, (HB 09-1163), ch. 343, p. 1797, sec.(find section symbol) 1., effective July 1, 2009.)
(3) Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child is a class 4 felony.