Have you been charged with
Child Pornography Crime in Michigan?
Possessing, producing or trafficking in images of actual children engaged in sexual activity is a crime under both state and federal law. Federal law defines anyone under 18 as a child for these purposes. The majority of child pornography cases arise from conversations over the Internet with an undercover agent or from a report by a coworker or some other person with access to the computer.
While police, FBI, Homeland Security, and Michigan State government agencies actively investigate manufacturers of child pornography, they equally pursue people who have visited child porn websites, created child porn websites or downloaded questionable content from the Internet. While everyone knows that child porn manufacturers face stiff penalties, many people are unaware that defendants charged with possession of child pornography are prosecuted aggressively and face the possibility of significant jail time.
In many Michigan child pornography investigations, police will obtain a search warrant and seize your personal computer. The computer will then be sent to the Michigan State Police crime lab to have the hard drive examined. If child porn images show up on your computer, they can form the basis of a criminal charge. Even images that were inadvertently downloaded and subsequently deleted from your hard drive can be recovered by computer forensic examiners and used to charge you with a crime.
What defense is there against a child pornography charge?
Our Criminal lawyers will examine all records and procedures leading to the charges against you.
Was the evidence collected through an illegal Internet sting, where a state or federal investigator posed as a minor in an Internet chat room?
Did the Michigan state police or FBI conduct an illegal search and seizure of your personal computer?
If your hard drive had a record of downloading "kiddy porn," was it really yours?
Was the entire case against you based on a pop-up menu that filled your monitor screen with obscene or sexually explicit images you didn't ask for?
Did you attempt to destroy a pornographic image of a minor by deleting it as soon as it appeared?
If the pictures were found on a hard drive at your place of employment, did any other person have access to the computer?
Our Lawyers fight Internet sex crime charges with tough legal action. No matter what the charges or how serious, we can help:
Possession of child pornography
Distribution of child pornography
Online sexual solicitation of a minor
A Free Consultation Focused on the Fight for Your Future
We understand all you have at stake if you or a loved one has been accused of a sex crime
Have you been charged with
Criminal Sexual Conduct in Michigan?
There are four degrees of Criminal Sexual Conduct (CSC) under Michigan law; they cover a range of sexual contact and levels of force or intimidation. Jail time for sexual assault crimes can last for decades, with some offenses carrying possible life sentences and 25 year minimum prison terms. Even for convictions of a lesser degree of CSC, the penalties are severe. If You Have Been Charged With CSC, give us a call. These charges range between first and fourth degree. Typically, first and third degree CSC involves penetration, while second and fourth degree CSC result from contact of some other nature.
Your Defense
CSC can be a difficult case for the prosecution to prove, considering such factors as consent or false accusations. Some alleged victims, while caught in the act of consensual sexual intercourse or whose advances are rejected, will cry “rape” when unwarranted. Charges can also be brought about as the result of jealousy, revenge, or from a repressed or recovered memory that can be years old and is unreliable.
In any of the above situations the accused faces false or exaggerated charges. Due to the unpleasant and sometimes upsetting nature of sexual offense cases, a jury may turn a deaf ear to the defense. If you are being investigated for First, Second, Third or Forth Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct, you must call an attorney immediately and do not speak with the police! They will already have gathered some evidence against you and if their case is strong enough they will charge you whether or not you speak with them or not.
Michigan Penalties for a Criminal Sexual Conduct Conviction
1st degree: Up to life in prison and lifetime registration on sex offender list
2nd degree: Up to 15 years in prison and lifetime registration on sex offender list
3rd degree: Up to 15 years in prison and 25 years registered on sex offender list
4th degree: Up to 2 years in prison and 25 years registered on sex offender list