Federal Sex Crime Attorney in Louisiana
There are laws against sex crimes under both Louisiana and federal law. When you hear of someone being charged with a sex crime, that person has usually been charged under Louisiana law. However, in certain cases, a person can be charged with a sex crime under federal law.
What types of sex crimes are federal crimes?
Federal law typically governs sex crimes that involve the use of the internet. This includes sex crimes on sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. One example is soliciting a minor online, but being caught when it turns out that the person was not a minor at all, but an adult working on an online sting operation designed to catch sexual predators. Another example is distributing child pornography to others through e-mail. The FBI has a group-the Cyber Task Force (CTF)-that constantly works to catch internet sex crimes. It is a crime to even possess child (kiddie) porn.
Federal law also typically governs sex crimes when interstate or international travel is used to commit the sex crime. This is because the federal government has jurisdiction over a case that involves interstate “commerce.” A new trend is called “sex tourism.” Sex tourism is when someone travels abroad in order to engage in sex acts that are illegal in the United States but legal in other countries, such as sex with a minor. However, United States law still covers behavior of this nature while a person is traveling abroad. In other words, it is a federal crime to travel to a foreign county for the purpose of having sex with a minor while in the other country.
What is the difference between a federal sex crime and a state of Louisiana sex crime?
Being charged for a sex crime under federal law is very different than being charged under Louisiana law. Federal courts use procedures that are different than those used in Louisiana courts. There are different types of hearings-such as grand jury proceedings-and different court rules. The federal court system often moves more rapidly than our state court system. Also, the atmosphere in federal court is much more formal than it is in a Louisiana courtroom. Federal judges in the Western District of Louisiana (Lafayette, Lake Charles, Alexandria, Monroe, and Shreveport) as well as the Middle (Baton Rouge) and Eastern (New Orleans) Districts of Louisiana tend to expedite criminal cases and jury trials. Most important to a defendant or his/her family is the fact that sentencing for sex crimes under federal law tends to be even harsher than it is under Louisiana law. If convicted, a defendant could end up in federal prison for many years and also forced to register as a sex offender for his or her entire life. That is why there is a need for an attorney who is skilled and experienced at defending sex crimes in federal court. Hiring a low priced lawyer who doesn’t know his or her way around federal court could be a very costly mistake with lifelong consequences.
Federal Sex Crime Lawyers
Fortunately, Brett Grayson has extensive experience in litigating in state and federal courts and in handling both Louisiana and federal sex crimes. He understand the severity of the situation and will work tenaciously on your behalf. He can assist in federal sex crime defense for any or all of the following categories of federal sex crimes: Obscenity, Sexual Abuse, Child Pornography / kiddie porn, Sexual Exploitation and Other Abuse of Children, and Transportation for Illegal Sexual Activity and Related Crimes. These categories include major crimes such as Human Trafficking, Child Exploitation, Kidnapping to Commit a Sex Crime, Prostitution, Trafficking Prostitutes, Online Solicitation of a Minor, Possession of Child Pornography, Distribution of Child Pornography, and more.