VIRGINIA PROSTITUTION & SOLICITATION DEFENSE ATTORNEYS

MISDEMEANOR AND FELONY CASES

STATE AND FEDERAL COURTS

In Virginia, sex related offenses such as Prostitution, Pandering, and Solicitation are illegal. They are serious offenses that carry life changing consequences. The Virginia law offices of SRIS, P.C.have a number of excellent Virginia prostitution defense attorneys & solicitation defense lawyers in its offices in Fairfax, Manassas, Lynchburg, Richmond and Virginia Beach, Virginia .

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.

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.

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.

In Virginia, 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 web sites such as centralized networks of online 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.

In Virginia, 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. Virginia 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.

In Virginia, 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.

CONTACT A SRIS, P.C. Virginia PROSTITUTION / SOLICITATION DEFENSE LAWYER

The Virginia solicitation and prostitution defense lawyers at the Law Office of SRIS, P.C. provide criminal defense for those individuals accused of solicitation, prostitution, and other sex crimes in Virginia. Please contact a SRIS, P.C. Virginia prostitution defense lawyer or Virginia solicitation defense attorney to discuss the facts of your case. A SRIS, P.C. Virginia prostitution defense attorney or Virginia solicitation lawyer will discuss the facts of your case to advise you as to how we can help you.

If you have been arrested or charged with an act of prostitution or solicitation you need to contact the prostitution defense attorneys at SRIS, P.C.

Here are some of the different types of Virginia offenses the Commonwealth of Virginia may charge you with in the prosecution of prostitution, solicitation or pandering:

VA Code § 18.2-346. Being a prostitute or prostitution

A. Any person in Virginia, who, for money or its equivalent, commits adultery, fornication or any act in violation of § 18.2-361, or offers to commit adultery, fornication or any act in violation of § 18.2-361 and thereafter does any substantial act in furtherance thereof, shall be guilty of being a prostitute, or prostitution, which shall be punishable as a Class 1 misdemeanor.

B. Any person in Virginia, who offers money or its equivalent to another for the purpose of engaging in sexual acts as enumerated above and thereafter does any substantial act in furtherance thereof shall be guilty of solicitation of prostitution and shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

VA Code § 18.2-355. Taking, detaining, etc., person for prostitution,etc., or consenting thereto

Any person in Virginia, who:

(1) For purposes of prostitution or unlawful sexual intercourse, takes any person into, or persuades, encourages or causes any person to enter, a bawdy place, or takes or causes such person to be taken to any place against his or her will for such purposes; or,

(2) Takes or detains a person against his or her will with the intent to compel such person, by force, threats, persuasions, menace or duress, to marry him or her or to marry any other person, or to be defiled; or,

(3) Being parent, guardian, legal custodian or one standing in loco parentis of a person, consents to such person being taken or detained by any person for the purpose of prostitution or unlawful sexual intercourse; is guilty of pandering, and shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony.

VA Code § 18.2-29. Criminal solicitation; penalty

Any person in Virginia, who commands, entreats, or otherwise attempts to persuade another person to commit a felony other than murder, shall be guilty of a Class 6 felony. Any person age eighteen or older who commands, entreats, or otherwise attempts to persuade another person under age eighteen to commit a felony other than murder, shall be guilty of a Class 5 felony. Any person who commands, entreats, or otherwise attempts to persuade another person to commit a murder is guilty of a felony punishable by confinement in a state correctional facility for a term not less than five years or more than forty years.

VA Code § 18.2-357. Receiving money from earnings of male or female prostitute

Any person in Virginia, who shall knowingly receive any money or other valuable thing from the earnings of any male or female engaged in prostitution, except for a consideration deemed good and valuable in law, shall be guilty of pandering, punishable as a Class 4 felony.

VA Code § 18.2-356. Receiving money for procuring person

Any person in Virginia, who shall receive any money or other valuable thing for or on account of procuring for or placing in a house of prostitution or elsewhere any person for the purpose of causing such person to engage in unlawful sexual intercourse or any act in violation of § 18.2-361 shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony.

VA Code § 18.2-361. Crimes against nature; penalty

A. If any person in Virginia, carnally knows in any manner any brute animal, or carnally knows any male or female person by the anus or by or with the mouth, or voluntarily submits to such carnal knowledge, he or she shall be guilty of a Class 6 felony, except as provided in subsection B.

B. Any person who performs or causes to be performed cunnilingus, fellatio, anilingus or anal intercourse upon or by his daughter or granddaughter, son or grandson, brother or sister, or father or mother is guilty of a Class 5 felony. However, if a parent or grandparent commits any such act with his child or grandchild and such child or grandchild is at least 13 but less than 18 years of age at the time of the offense, such parent or grandparent is guilty of a Class 3 felony.

C. For the purposes of this section, parent includes step-parent, grandparent includes step-grandparent, child includes step-child and grandchild includes step-grandchild.

VA Code§ 18.2-350. Confinement of convicted prostitutes and persons violating §§ 18.2-347 through 18.2-349

Every person convicted of being a prostitute in Virginia, and every person convicted of violating any of the provisions of §§ 18.2-347 through 18.2-349 shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor; provided, however, that in any case in which a city or county farm or hospital is available for the confinement of persons so convicted, confinement may be in such farm or hospital, in the discretion of the court or judge.

VA Code § 18.2-348. Aiding prostitution nor illicit sexual intercourse

It shall be unlawful in Virginia, for any person or any officer, employee or agent of any firm, association or corporation, with knowledge of, or good reason to believe, the immoral purpose of such visit, to take or transport or assist in taking or transporting, or offer to take or transport on foot or in any way, any person to a place, whether within or without any building or structure, used or to be used for the purpose of lewdness, assignation or prostitution within this Commonwealth; or procure or assist in procuring for the purpose of illicit sexual intercourse, or any act violative of § 18.2-361, or to give any information or direction to any person with intent to enable such person to commit an act of prostitution.

VA Code § 18.2-347. Keeping, residing in or frequenting a bawdy place; “bawdy place” defined

It shall be unlawful in Virginia, for any person to keep any bawdy place, or to reside in or at or visit, for immoral purposes, any such bawdy place. Each and every day such bawdy place shall be kept, resided in or visited, shall constitute a separate offense. In a prosecution under this section the general reputation of the place may be proved.

As used in this Code, “bawdy place” shall mean any place within or without any building or structure which is used or is to be used for lewdness, assignation or prostitution.

We have Virginia prostitution lawyers and solicitation attorneys and offices located in Fairfax, Manassas, Lynchburg, Richmond and Virginia Beach, VA, but our Virginia prostitution/solicitation defense attorneys provide legal representation to clients all throughout Virginia including but not limited to:

Manassas City, Fairfax City, City of Manassas Park, Town of Dumfries, Town of Haymarket, Alexandria City, Falls Church City, Town of Herndon, Town of Vienna, Dale City, Woodbridge, Mclean, Centreville, Chantilly, Leesburg, Warrenton, Alexandria City, Amisville, Ashburn, Baileys Crossroads, Catlett, Centreville, Chantilly, Dulles, Dunn Loring, Falls Church, Dale City, Dumfries, Franconia, Fredericksburg, Ft. Myer, Great Falls, Greenway, Gainesville, Haymarket, Herndon, Independent Hill, Leesburg, Lincolnia, Lorton, Manassas, Manassas Park, Mc Lean, Merrifield, Montclair, Oakton, Occoquan, Pimmit Hills, Potomac, Reston, Seven Corners, Springfield, Stafford, Sterling, Triangle, Vienna, Warrenton, Woodbridge. Amelia County, Arlington County, Caroline County, Chesterfield County, Culpeper County, Cumberland County , Fairfax County , Fauquier County, Goochland County, Hanover County, Isle of Wight County , James City, King and Queen County, King William County, Loudoun County, New Kent County, Powhatan County, Prince William County, Richmond County, Henrico County, Southampton County; Spotsylvania County, Virginia; Stafford County, Surry County, Sussex County, Warren County, York County, Alexandria city, Bristol city, Virginia; Chesapeake city, Fairfax city, Falls Church City, Fredericksburg City, Hampton City, Newport News City, Norfolk City, Petersburg City, Poquoson City, Portsmouth City, Richmond City, Staunton City, Suffolk City, Virginia Beach City.

For more information or to make an appointment with SRIS, P.C., please call or complete the on-line form.