Solicitation

Facing any criminal charge can be a confusing and frightening experience. Those facing a sexual offense, such as solicitation of prostitution often experience embarrassment on top of that fear and confusion. Anyone convicted of sexual solicitation in Fulton County can expect serious legal penalties. Georgia law requires that those convicted of solicitation be humiliated by means of a public notice of their conviction. This notice includes the defendant’s name, address, and photograph.

Given Fulton County’s aggressive approach to prosecuting soliciting sex, it is important for those accused to contact an experienced defense lawyer immediately. A Fulton County solicitation lawyer can protect a defendant’s rights, and offer the best chance at avoiding conviction.

Solicitation is not necessarily a sexual offense in Georgia. Georgia Code defines solicitation as intentionally “engaging in conduct constituting a felony [while] soliciting, requesting, commanding, importuning, or otherwise attempting to cause the other person to engage in such conduct.”

Essentially, the legal definition of solicitation means requesting or causing someone else to commit a crime. While all forms of solicitation are not sexual offenses, soliciting prostitution is a sexual crime and needs a solicitation lawyer in Fulton County.

In Fulton County, soliciting prostitution (committing sexual acts for anything of value, such as money) is known as pandering. Pandering can also include “knowingly assembling persons at a fixed place for the purpose of being solicited by others to perform an act of prostitution.” In other words, solicitaion can include acts like procuring people together so that they can engage in prostitution individually (or as a group).

In Fulton County, solicitation is classified as a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature. Penalties for this crime can include:

• Fines up to $5,000
• Mandatory testing for sexually transmitted diseases
• A jail sentence up to 12 months
• Public notice of conviction including the name, address, and photograph of the convicted defendant

However, in some cases, pandering is a felony crime and can result in much harsher penalties. Pandering is considering a felony when:

• The conduct involves someone between the ages of 16 and 18 – penalties include fines between $2,500 to $10,000 and a prison sentence of 5 to 20 years
• The conduct involves someone under the age of 16 – penalties include fines up to $100,000 and a prison sentence of 10 to 30 years

The penalties for a solicitation conviction can be great, contact a Fulton County pandering attorney right away to mitigate the potential penalties.

State law distinctly defines numerous solicitation-related charges. Some of these charges are misdemeanors, and a conviction can result in similar penalties as a solicitation conviction. However, some of these charges are felonies, and punishable by higher fines and longer prison sentences.

Pandering-related charges in Fulton County include:

• Pandering by Compulsion: causing another to perform an act of prostitution through the means of duress or coercion. Punishable by a prison sentence of one to 10 years
• Misdemeanor Solicitation of Sodomy: soliciting someone to perform or submit to an act of sodomy. Punishable by fines up to $1,000, and a jail sentence up to 12 months
• Felony Solicitation of Sodomy: soliciting of sodomy when such offense involves someone under the age of 18. Punishable fines of $2,500 to $10,000 and a prison sentence of five to 20 years

If you are facing solicitation or related charges in Fulton County, contact Fulton County solicitation defense lawyers today. Experienced defense attorneys can defend your reputation in court and protect your legal rights.