Prostitution & Solicitation

Prostitution & Solicitation Defense Attorneys  

Licensed in Virginia, New York, Maryland, D.C., & Massachusetts

Prostitution is the oldest profession in the world. Prostitution is also legal in many parts of the word or at least in most countries, the law turns a blind eye towards those who make a living by engaging in prostitution.

In the United States, prostitution is illegal in almost every state. If a person, offers to, agrees to or engages in a sexual act for compensation, then the person has broken the law. The magic words necessary for the police to charge you with prostitution are "SEX & MONEY". In most states, the following people can be charged with the crime of prostitution. The person who provides the service of prostitution known commonly as the prostitute, the person who pays for the services of the prostitute, commonly referred to as the "john" and any middleman, commonly referred to as the "pimp". The alleged prostitute is charged with prostitution. The "john" will be charged with solicitation of prostitution. The "pimp" will be charged with pandering. Depending on the state, certain acts of facilitating prostitution can even be charged as felony.

Prostitution is the practice of engaging in sexual activity, usually with individuals other than a spouse or a friend, in exchange for money or other valuables. Prostitution may be of either sex and may engage in heterosexual or homosexual activity but most prostitution has been by women with men as clients. Prostitution is a crime throughout almost all of the United States.

Pandering is the act of recruiting a prostitute or soliciting customers for a prostitute. A pimp commits the crime of pandering.

Solicitation is the act of asking, inducing or directing someone to engage in sexual activity in exchange for money. Solicitation is commonly known as Solicitation for Prostitution.

In cases involving solicitation for prostitution, most clients are arrested in so called "sting operations". These operations usually involve a woman (in some cases an undercover cop/decoy) acting as the prostitute soliciting drivers from the side of a roadway. Also lately, the stings have been set up on very popular and heavily trafficked websites such as centralized networks of on line urban communities, featuring free classifieds advertisements. The female decoy is generally very attractive and does her best to lure unsuspecting and unwary men to pull over and engage her in a brief conversation. After a brief verbal exchange the prostitute attempts to get the person to say the magic words --- SEX AND MONEY. Once the unsuspecting person agrees to the sex act for money the person is usually arrested immediately or after pulling into a parking lot or inside of a hotel room.

Both the prostitute and the "John" are aggressively prosecuted for prostitution and solicitation. Innocent citizens with no criminal history can find themselves accused and arrested of one of these crimes simply by being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Prostitution and solicitation are crimes that may be charged as felonies or misdemeanors. Both of these sex crimes carry a lasting social stigma and serious legal consequences. In some states, because of overwhelming pressure from the public many prosecutors will stop at nothing to get a conviction.

Punishment on these cases can range from community service, AIDS testing, fines, counseling to jail time.

There are many defenses available to these crimes. Contacting a skilled SRIS, P.C.  criminal lawyer as soon as possible allows the attorney to evaluate the evidence and witnesses to be questioned immediately after the event, providing the best opportunity for a successful defense.

Law enforcement has attacked the prostitution problem from a different angle -- by focusing on massage parlors, bawdy houses and escort agencies. Regular raids and stings of these businesses occur on a regular basis with cops posing as customers intent on testing the boundaries that various escorts and masseuses may or may not be willing to cross during their one hour long companionship.

With the advent of the Internet both escorts and prostitutes found a new way of accessing new business. Their growing popularity on the Internet has not gone unnoticed by law enforcement.

If you wish to speak with a Maryland, New York, Massachusetts or Virginia criminal defense attorney who defends clients charged with prostitution, solicitation of a prostitute or pandering, please call us at 888-437-7747 or contact us via our fast on line form.

The Law Offices of SRIS, P.C. have offices in Virginia, New York, North Carolina, Maryland & Massachusetts.

Our offices in Virginia are located in Fairfax, Lynchburg, Manassas, Richmond & Virginia Beach.Our offices in Maryland are located in Rockville & Annapolis.Our office in Massachusetts is located in Boston.  Our office in New York is in New York City. 

Our criminal defense attorneys in Virginia, New York, North Carolina, Maryland & Massachusetts who defend those charged with prostitution, solicitation of prostitution or pandering and staff speak the following languages in addition to English: Spanish, French, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Cantonese, Mandarin & Malaysian.

Our attorneys are licensed to defend prostitution/solicitation/pandering cases in Virginia, Maryland, New York, DC & Massachusetts, however we handle these types of cases only in Virginia, Maryland, New York & Massachusetts at the present time.