Henrico County VA Solicitation Lawyer • Best Defense • 1500+ Reviews
Solicitation involves seeking out another person to engage in a criminal act. Any person who commands, entreats, or otherwise attempts to persuade another person to commit a felony is guilty of a Class 6 felony according to Va. Code 18.2-29. There are many other more specific forms of solicitation conduct that the General Assembly has outlawed in the criminal code. Many of these solicitation offenses involve sex acts. The Henrico County Commonwealth Attorney and Henrico Police Department have special units to investigate and prosecute solicitation offenses. Contact a top rated Henrico County VA Solicitation Lawyer if your are being investigated for any type of solicitation offense or have been arrested. These cases are very serious and carry harsh penalties.
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Solicitation of Prostitution Defense Attorney Henrico VA
Solicitation of prostitution is one of the more common solicitation offenses in Henrico County. Va. Code 18.2-346.01 makes soliciting a prostitute a criminal violation. These cases are aggressively investigated by Henrico Police and prosecuted by the Commonwealth Attorney. It is illegal to offer money to another for the purpose of engaging in a sex act and to then perform a substantial act to execute that plan. A violation is a class 1 misdemeanor criminal offense. A solicitation case involving a juvenile is classified as a felony. If you have been accused of solicitation in Henrico County then you need an experienced advocate to present your best case.
Top Rated Henrico County Defense Lawyer Client Review
Experienced Henrico Law Firm Defending Those Accused of Solicitation
Riley & Wells Attorneys-At-Law are established local Henrico County VA lawyers that specialize in defending criminal law solicitation cases. Our office is located a few miles from the Courthouse. We are recognized as a “Best Law Firm” by U.S. News & World Report. Many of the cases filed in the Henrico Courts are criminal cases. We routinely represent clients who have been accused of solicitation in Henrico County. Our firm has been positively reviewed more times than any other law firm that represents clients charged with criminal offenses in the Henrico VA Courts. We have more than 60 years of combined trial experience. Put our attorneys in Henrico County Virginia to work for you. We can help! Let us review your case.
Henrico VA Solicitation of a Minor for Prostitution On-line Defense Lawyer
On-line dating websites are popular. Approximately 3 out of every 10 U.S. adults have used a dating site. Many solicitation of a minor for prostitution cases originate from law enforcement posing as a woman on a dating site with an adult profile. The profile looks very authentic but in reality it is an undercover law enforcement officer trolling internet dating sites looking for illegal activity. The undercover will message through the app with unsuspecting suitors. Va. Code 18.2-346.01 makes is illegal for any person to solicit prostitution from a minor. The penalties are more severe if the juvenile is younger than 16 years old. At some point the undercover eventually reveals her age as less than 18 years old.
Hotel Rendezvous Leads to Arrest for Solicitation in Henrico County
A law enforcement sting operation is a deceptive operation designed to catch a person committing a crime. A typical sting will have an undercover law enforcement officer play a role and go along with a suspect’s actions to gather evidence of criminal wrongdoing. Henrico Police have a special unit that operates this kind of sting operation. In the context of the solicitation sting, the undercover officer is role playing on the internet on various dating websites. The undercover will attempt to lure the suspect to local Henrico County hotel or other location. Henrico Police have the hotel room under surveillance. Our top rated Henrico VA solicitation attorneys know how to defend these cases. Put our experience to work for you.
Henrico County Solicitation Case Nolle Prosequi Dropped by Prosecution
Henrico County VA Solicitation Dropped
In this case our lawyers represented a client charged with soliciting a prostitute. The client met a girl he found on a website. They began texting and eventually agreed to meet at a local hotel. At the hotel, there was a discussion about exchanging money for a sex act. Our client then placed $60 on the nightstand. As it turned out, the “girl” was an undercover police officer. The client was quickly arrested at this point, but was released on a summons to appear in Court for solicitation. Our attorneys were able to build a case and persuade the prosecution to nolle prosequi or drop the case. This is essentially the same as a dismissal.
Use of Communication System or Computer to Solicit Sex Act from Minor
Va Code § 18.2-374.3 makes is a criminal offense to use a communications systems to facilitate certain sex offenses involving children. This offense is aggressively investigated by Henrico Police and prosecuted by the Henrico Commonwealth Attorney’s Office. The police department has a special unit and task force dedicated to investigating conduct that would violate this criminal offense. Many cases involve a sting operation where there is no actual child but an undercover agent posing as a child. It is unlawful for any person 18 years of age for the purposes of soliciting, with lascivious intent, any person he knows or has reason to believe is a child. The penalties if convicted for a violation of this offense are very harsh.
Henrico County Solicitation of a Minor for Prostitution NOT GUILTY
In this case, our client was arrested and charged with soliciting a minor for prostitution in violation of Va. Code 18.2-346.01. Our client met what he thought was a woman on a website dating app. Turned out he became the target of a Henrico County law enforcement sting operation. A sting operation is a deceptive operation designed to catch a person attempting to commit a crime. Our client maintained his innocence and the matter was set for trial with a jury. Upon conclusion of the Commonwealth’s case, our Henrico County criminal defense attorneys argued the prosecution’s case was insufficient to prove a violation. Click Case Result image for actual court order
Court Records of Solicitation of Prostitution Case Expunged
Our attorneys filed a Petition in the Henrico Circuit Court to have the court and police records of our client’s case expunged or sealed. Our client was concerned that the existence of court records showing he was charged with soliciting a prostitute would create future problems. We were able to resolve the underlying case without out client getting convicted of the offense. We appeared before Judge Wallerstein to argue the petition. We argued that the existence of such a record would create a manifest injustice to our client. The Judge was persuaded by our petition, granted it, and ordered the court and police records of his case to be expunged or sealed. Click on image for actual court order.
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5/17/2021 | Updated 5/14/2024