In the state of Minnesota, seeking or providing prostitution is a criminal offense. Therefore if you are being charged for solicitation of prostitution in St. Paul, DeVore Criminal Defense can assist you—and here are some essential things you need to know as you seek an experienced lawyer to defend you.

What is Solicitation of Prostitution?

This is a criminal offense with potentially strong repercussions. You can be criminally charged as a buyer or seller of sexual acts for compensation. Solicitation of prostitution is whenever an attempt is made to communicate the sale or purchase of sexual service for compensation. Solicitation can be words, actions, or general conduct—vague terms that may require legal expertise to navigate in a courtroom if you are being charged.

What is Specific Intent?

Different types of crimes have to be proved or disproved in court according to the category of the crime. Charges for solicitation of prostitution are considered a specific intent crime. This means that in order to convict, then it must be proven that there was a serious intention to offer money in order to receive sexual acts, or else to take money to offer sexual acts. If the gesture was made as a joke, for example, then it cannot legally be proven that it was made with specific intent.

Keep In Mind…

In order to press charges, no specific solicitation records are required to be presented. It is considered enough for one of the members involved to verbally list the financial offers that were made.

What Are the Potential Penalties for This Legal Charge?

Typically, solicitation of prostitution is charged as a misdemeanor offense but felony charges are also possible depending on the case. Of the two, a misdemeanor is less serious and has less severe consequences. The charges themselves can be widely varied, and can include:

Fines:

The bottom line fines for solicitation of prostitution range from below $100 to over $1,000. Felony offenses can certainly be higher. If a person is successfully convicted they will then also have to pay for court fees associated to their conviction.

Probation:

There may be a sentencing of probation. This typically lasts at least 12 months. A probation period means that the convicted must not commit any more crimes, must not be caught associating with criminals or prostitutes, must perform community service, must pay all associated court fees, and may or may not be required to seek counseling with a mental health expert.

Jail:

Solicitation of prostitution can result in being jailed for up to a year. However, for first-time offenders it’s not uncommon for the jail sentence time to be about 30 days. Felony convictions can be as high as five years.

Pre-Trial Diversion:

This is quite similar to probation. A pre-trial diversion is also called a diversion or a pre-trial intervention. The conditions of a pre-trial diversion are the same as probation: community service, avoiding prostitutes or known criminals, etc. However, a pre-trial diversion is whenever a conviction has not been made just yet but the court is pending judgment. Sometimes if an individual completes the terms of the pre-trial diversion then the charges themselves are dropped altogether.

The Importance of Seeking Help from a Criminal Defense Attorney

A solicitation charge can have a serious impact on your record, and impact you in your work, marriage and life. This is a serious charge, even though it does not always result in long term imprisonment. The terms of the crime are widely up for interpretation and therefore an individual can be easily arrested of solicitation of prostitution, with little physical evidence.

Seeking direction and assistance from a professional criminal defense attorney in Minnesota such as DeVore Criminal Defense is essential in seeking the lowest charges, or to seek to be free of loosely defined charges. DeVore provides 24/7 free confidential case evaluations to get you started.

Sincerely,