Sex-Related Crimes Attorney in Quincy, Massachusetts

There were more than 2,800 sexual assault cases in Massachusetts in 2020. Those cases included rape, sodomy, sexual assault with an object, and fondling. That’s more than seven cases every day.

Sex-related crimes are some of the most damaging to both those who are victimized and those charged with them. Even when charges are dropped or defendants are acquitted, the mere accusation can follow them for the rest of their lives. People convicted of such crimes will never be able to live where they want or maintain privacy regarding the conviction.

If you have been accused of or charged with a sex-related crime in Massachusetts, don’t risk your future. You need the best legal defense available under the law, and that requires a knowledgeable and aggressive criminal defense attorney.

The attorneys at McBride Law represent clients in Quincy, Massachusetts, and throughout the state who have been accused of sex-related crimes. Whether you are guilty of the crime or not, you need an attorney who will fight for you and your future.

Sex-Related Crimes in Massachusetts

There are approximately 30 sex-related offenses that require a person convicted of them to register as a sex offender. These crimes can be broadly categorized as follows:

Rape

This includes rape, aggravated rape, assault with the intent to rape, and drugging a person for sexual intercourse

Sex Offenses Involving Minors

This includes indecent assault and battery, aggravated indecent assault and battery, statutory rape, rape and aggravated rape, rape and abuse, aggravated rape and abuse, assault with intent to rape, kidnapping, forced prostitution, inducing a minor into prostitution, profiting from prostitution, and unnatural and lascivious acts or behavior.

Pornography

This includes disseminating harmful material to a minor, disseminating visual materials of nude children or those engaging in sexual conduct, posing a child in a state of nudity, and possession of child pornography.

Sex Trafficking

This includes trafficking of minors or adults for sexual servitude and enticing a child using electronic communication to engage in commercial sex, prostitution, or human trafficking.

Incest

This includes intercourse and other sex acts between close blood relatives.

What Defines Consent?

“Consent” with regard to sex is not clearly defined under Massachusetts law. A lack of consent is a requirement for several sex-related crimes but not for all.

The law does not recognize consent when the victim is unable to provide consent, such as when they are too young, lack the mental capacity for consent, or even in cases in which someone sustains a physical injury during consensual sex, even consensual sadomasochistic sex.

Possible Penalties for Sex-Related Crimes

Penalties for sex-related convictions depend largely on the violence of the act, the age or mental capacity of the victim, past convictions, and other aggravating factors (the use of a weapon during rape, for example).

• Rape, statutory rape, rape of a child under 16 years of age, and assault with intent to rape a child carry penalties of up to life in prison.

• Penalties for incestuous marriage or sex, and assault with intent to rape range from two and a half years in jail to 20 years in state prison.

• A conviction for indecent assault and battery on someone over 14 years of age may result in up to two and a half years in jail or up to five years in prison. The penalty for the same crime with a victim at or under 14 years of age may result in two and a half years in jail or up to 10 years in prison.

• The penalties for possession of child pornography include fines ranging from $1,000 to $30,000, jail terms of two and a half years or up to five years in prison, with repeat offenders earning more severe sentences.

Convictions for any sex-related crime require registration on the sex-offender registry, which is accessible to law enforcement, potential employers, and the public.

Your Choice of Attorney is Important

Little mercy is shown for those charged with sex-related offenses — particularly when they were especially violent or involve children or mentally challenged victims. Even an accusation of a sex crime can permanently mark you for life. Where you live and work, the custody of your children, and your personal relationships may be affected forever.

Criminal charges that bring such irrevocable and long-term consequences should not be taken lightly. The most important decision you can make is to retain the services of an experienced and aggressive criminal defense firm that will work tirelessly on your case in order to pursue the best outcome available.