Whitehall Sex Crime Lawyer

Local Sex Crime Attorney in Whitehall, PA

Whitehall, Pennsylvania, is a borough in Allegheny County, less than 20 minutes south of Pittsburgh. If you’ve been arrested and charged with a sex crime here in Whitehall, you’re probably feeling overwhelmed and scared. Sex crime charges are not like any other type of criminal charge. They can destroy your reputation and make it difficult to find a job or even rent a place to live.

A Whitehall criminal defense lawyer can help you fight these charges or arrange a plea deal that will reduce the penalties against you and enable you to get back to your life. Depending on the circumstances of your case, there are many different strategies a skilled defense lawyer could pursue. The first step is to sit down with an experienced sex crimes lawyer and explain all the facts about your case.

SMT Legal is a criminal defense firm serving Whitehall, Pennsylvania. We have extensive experience defending sex crime charges and know which strategies are most effective. Don’t leave your future in the hands of prosecutors. Contact SMT Legal immediately.

Christopher P. Thomas

Partner Criminal Defense Attorney

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Call/Text an Attorney Today 412-448-6887

Sex Crimes in Pennsylvania

The National Institute of Justice defines “sex-related offenses” as any crimes with a sexual component and notes that sex crimes can involve physical harm, threats of physical harm, or mental and emotional harm. Even if no physical harm was involved, a sexual act could still be a crime if the victim was legally unable to consent due to age, intoxication, or some other factor.

Victims commonly suffer mental and emotional harm when subjected to sexual acts without their consent, even if they were not physically attacked or threatened. That’s one reason society condemns sex crimes so fiercely.

Sex crimes in Pennsylvania include:

• Rape
• Statutory sexual assault
• Involuntary deviate sexual intercourse
• Sexual assault
• Institutional sexual assault
• Aggravated indecent assault
• Indecent assault
• Incest
• Promoting the prostitution of a minor
• Obscene materials and performances
• Trafficking
• Involuntary servitude
• Patronizing a victim of sexual servitude
• Corruption of minors
• Sexual abuse of children
• Dissemination of child pornography
• Possession of child pornography
• Unlawful contact with a minor
• Sexual exploitation of children
• Invasion of privacy

If you are convicted of any of these crimes, the penalties are severe, and the social condemnation you will face is likely to be intense. To protect your future and your place in the community, it’s vital for you to defend yourself as effectively as possible against these charges.

If you did not commit the crime, or if there are extenuating circumstances that would affect the public judgment of the case, a skilled sex crimes defense attorney can help you present your side of the story.

Penalties for Sex Crimes in Pennsylvania

There are many different sex crimes under Pennsylvania law, and penalties vary widely depending on the circumstances. Penalties for sex crimes in Pennsylvania include:

• Up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000 for rape
• Up to 40 years in prison for rape of a child under 13
• Mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison for the rape of a child under 16
• Up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000 for involuntary deviate sexual intercourse
• Up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000 for sexual assault
• Up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000 for aggravated indecent assault

Conviction on a sex crime charge has the potential to take decades of your life away, followed by the stigma and other difficulties of registration as a sex offender.

The Pennsylvania Sex Offender Registry

Convicted sex offenders in Pennsylvania must register their location and other personal information with the Pennsylvania Sex Offender Registry. This registry lets the public know when a sex offender is living in the neighborhood. How long you must remain registered depends on the type of sex crime you are convicted of. For example:

• Tier I sexual offenses require an offender to register for 15 years.
• Tier II sexual offenses require an offender to register for 25 years
• Tier III sexual offenses require lifetime registration

Whether a sexual offense falls under Tier I, II, or III depends on the details of the crime. For instance, an indecent assault conviction can be either Tier 1, Tier !!, or Tier III, depending on aggravating factors such as age, unconsciousness, or intoxication.

Defending Sex Crime Cases

What is the best defense strategy in a sex crimes case? That depends on the facts of the case.
When you meet with us to talk about your charges, we’ll base our defense strategy on the details you give us. Some options include:

• A mistaken identity defense, where we argue that the victim of a sex crime has mistaken you for their attacker.
• Proving that you were somewhere else at the time of the offense and could not have committed the crime.
• Arguing that any sexual contact was consensual.
• Arguing that the police abused their authority and any search of your property was not legal.
• Arguing that evidence was handled improperly and should not be admissible in court.
• Arguing that police officers entrapped you into committing an offense you would not otherwise have committed.
• Arguing that the accusations against you are false.
• Admitting the offense but letting the court know about extenuating circumstances in your case.
• A mistake of age defense, when you reasonably but incorrectly believed a child above 14 years old to be an adult. This defense is not available in most states but can be used in Pennsylvania in some cases.

Mounting a strong defense not only increases your chances of an acquittal or a dismissal of all charges but also improves your negotiating position with prosecutors. If prosecutors believe you have a strong defense, they are more likely to offer you reduced charges or reduced penalties in exchange for a guilty plea. In some cases, this may be your best option to avoid more significant penalties.

Contact a Whitehall, Pennsylvania, Sex Crimes Lawyer Today

Being charged with a sex crime would be frightening and upsetting for anyone, but that does not mean that a conviction is inevitable.

If you’ve been charged with a sex crime in Whitehall, Pennsylvania, don’t delay. A vigorous defense is your best chance of avoiding severe penalties and irreversible damage to your reputation.

SMT Legal is a criminal defense firm serving Whitehall, Pennsylvania. We handle most types of criminal charges, including sex crimes of all kinds. Tell us about the charges you are facing. We will craft the most effective defense based on the specific circumstances of your case. For sex crime charges in Whitehall, Pennsylvania, or anywhere in the Pittsburgh area, contact SMT Legal today.

Protecting your rights. Restoring your future.

This Changes Everything. We’re Ready Anyway.

Call/Text Now : 412-448-6887

Directions to Our Office

Our office is located at 114 Smithfield Street, Pittsburgh. You can reach our office by using the following directions.

From the North:

Take I-279 S toward Pittsburgh. Take Exit 2A for Fort Duquesne Blvd. Merge onto Fort Duquesne Blvd, then turn right onto Sixth Ave. Continue onto Smithfield Street. The destination will be on your right.

From the South:

Take I-79 N and merge onto I-376 E toward Pittsburgh. Take Exit 71A for Grant St. Merge onto Grant St, then turn left onto Sixth Ave. Turn right onto Smithfield Street. The destination will be on your right.

From the East:

Take I-376 W toward Pittsburgh. Take Exit 71A for Grant St. Merge onto Grant St, then turn left onto Sixth Ave. Turn right onto Smithfield Street. The destination will be on your right.

From the West:

Take I-376 E toward Pittsburgh. Take Exit 69C for Stanwix St. Merge onto Fort Pitt Blvd, then turn left onto Stanwix St. Turn right onto Fourth Ave, then turn left onto Smithfield Street. The destination will be on your left.