INTERNET LURING ATTORNEYS IN DENVER, COLORADO

Charged with Internet Luring or Enticement?

Internet luring and Enticement of a Child charges are extremely serious cases. At the Law Offices of Hebets & McCallin, we understand the sensitive nature of these kinds of accusations and the damage a conviction can have on someone’s reputation. As internet and computer technology becomes more sophisticated, the legal issues surrounding these cases can be very complex. The need for a skilled Denver criminal attorney is essential for a favorable outcome.

What is Internet Luring?

Internet luring is essentially when an actor communicates with a person he or she knows to be under the age of 15 to set up a meeting for sexual contact. To prove someone guilty of internet luring, the prosecution has to first prove that the communication was done electronically. This includes communication through social media chats, video game chat rooms, email, or text messages, among others. Second, the prosecution has to prove that the defendant believed the other person was under the age of fifteen, as well as at least four years younger than the defendant. Third, it has to be proven that the content of the communication was sexual in nature, and there was an attempt to set up a meeting between the accused and the other individual in question. It doesn’t matter if a meeting ever took place, or if the purpose of the meeting was to specifically engage in a sexual act, although these are factors that can affect the strength or weakness of the prosecutor’s case.

The age of the child in question is very important in an internet luring case. It does not matter if the child was actually under the age of 15 or if an adult was posing as a child under the age of fifteen. The age of the child is what the defendant considered the age to be. This creates situations where police officers will pose as a child under the age of fifteen in public chat rooms or other forms of communication, in an attempt to catch individuals they believe are threats to society.

Possible Penalties

You could face serious penalties if convicted of internet luring. The charge of internet luring is a felony. It can be an “indeterminate” sentencing offense, which means that, if convicted, a person could face either lifetime in prison or lifetime probation, depending on the circumstances of the case. It is also a sex offense, which requires specific sentencing requirements, such as sex offender registration, offense specific treatment and therapy, and restrictions on having contact with children under the age of 18, including a suspect’s own children or grandchildren.

Internet luring charges are often connected to enticement of a child charges. If you’re charged with enticement of a child, you’re accused of inviting or persuading a child under the age of fifteen to enter any secluded place (including vehicles, buildings, or rooms) with the intent to commit unlawful sexual contact upon the child. Enticement of a child is also a felony, subject to indeterminate and sex offense sentencing.