Virginia Federal Sex Crimes Lawyer

A charge of any sort of sex crime lodged against you or a family member in the federal judicial system in Virginia is a traumatic event. Federal prosecutors in the Commonwealth are dogged in their prosecution of alleged sex offenders. Moreover, the public at large demonstrates zero tolerance for individuals charged with these crimes, typically passing a personal judgment whether or not the accused is ever actually found guilty of a crime.

For these reasons, if you or a loved one is being charged with, investigated for, or accused of a federal sex crime in Virginia, you must understand what you are facing and be as proactive as possible in engaging representation from a skilled, committed Virginia federal sex crimes lawyer. Call now at (703) 278-2800 and for more information on federal criminal charges in Virginia, click that link.

General Types of Federal Sex Crimes

Federal sex crimes can be classified in three general areas. First, there are sex crimes perpetrated against an adult victim that somehow involve more than one state. In other words, the jurisdiction of the federal judicial system is invoked because the alleged crime involved activity in more than one state. This can include the physical transportation of the victim from one state to another (like sex trafficking), or something as basic as using a telephone or Internet to facilitate or further the alleged criminal activity.

The second category of federal sex crimes involves an adult physically sexually abusing a minor child. Once again, some sort of nexus to more than one state must to exist in order to bring this type of crime under the auspices of the federal judicial system. Again, the connection can be something as basic as using the Internet to lure a minor child to a face-to-face meeting with an adult.

The third category of federal sex crimes involves the possession or transmission of pornographic images of a minor child or children. Yet again the concept of crossing state lines comes into play. However, sending or receiving a pornographic image of a minor child is enough to satisfy the cross-state lines requirement.

The reason that something as basic as a phone call or Internet transmission is enough to satisfy the cross-state lines requirement to invoke federal jurisdiction in a sex crimes case is because phone lines and the Internet are considered to be instruments of interstate commerce. For more information, contact a Virginia federal sex crimes lawyer.

Federal Sex Crime Penalties

The sentences imposed upon an individual charged with a federal sex crime are governed by the provisions and calculations found in the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. If convicted of a federal sex crime, in most cases an individual will be looking at a term of incarceration.

The court considers aggravating and mitigating factors that might exist in meting out a sentence for a sex crime. Depending on an individual’s prior criminal history, particularly if he or she has a prior conviction for a sex crime, an individual convicted of a sex crime in federal court likely faces a long term of incarceration.

For a person convicted of a federal sex crime and sentenced to a lengthy prison term, incarceration is often even more unpleasant than would otherwise be the case. As a general rule, sex offenders are segregated from general prison populations, which can mean spending time in protective custody. If assigned to protective custody, an inmate has very limited access to even the basic activities that are available to general population inmates.

Once a person is convicted of a federal sex crime, restrictions on his or her life do not end with the completion of a term of incarceration. For example, an individual will be faced with the requirement to register as a sex offender. The public registry typically includes the individuals name, residential address, nature of crime and a photograph.

The sex offender databases are readily searchable to permit the general public the ability to easily identify a person who has been convicted of a sex offense.

Contact a Virginia Federal Sex Crimes Lawyer Today

An individual charged with a federal sex crime requires an attorney with a unique combination of compassion and commitment. Because of the uniquely egregious nature of sex crimes, particularly against children, a person facing a federal charge involving this type of crime must have a tenacious fighter for an attorney and a Virginia federal sex crimes lawyer with experience in defending these cases.

No matter what the circumstances surrounding your case, you can count on the team of skilled attorneys with Karin Riley Porter Attorney at Law to advocate all through the judicial process on your behalf. When facing something as serious as a federal sex crimes charge, you cannot afford to take a chance with substandard legal representation. Call an aggressive Virginia federal sex crimes attorney for a free consultation.