Maryland Solicitation Laws Sexual Solicitation MD Rockville Lawyer

Solicitation in Maryland falls under the same statute and carries the same kind of consequences as prostitution. A solicitation lawyer defends clients who are trying to obtain money in exchange for sexual acts. There are a variety of penalties a person can be charged with if a prosecutor believes there the defendant has attempted to exchange any sexual acts with anything of value. In the case that the prosecutor cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant has violated Maryland solicitation laws then the defendant is not found guilty.

If a person is accused of solicitation or prostitution then hiring a criminal defence attorney is recommended. In Maryland, criminal offences related to solicitation are outlined in subtitle 3 of tittle 11 of the criminal code. Within this subtitle, section 11-301 regulates the certain behaviours that the state of Maryland has made illegal in relation to solicitation.

These include:

• Prostitution- which includes any type of sexual conducts, including sex acts or intercourse for hire. Anything done for sexual gratification can be a sexual act for purposes of prostitution.
• Factors such as urging, advising, encouraging or commanding any sexual acts contribute to solicitation.
• Another act which is illegal under enticement laws is assignation. This is defined as making an appointment for prostitution or setting an agreement for prostitution.

If prosecutors can prove that a person is encouraging or advising someone to engage in committing sexual acts in exchange for anything of value, then the person can be charged even though they themselves didn’t engage in any sexual contact with a prostitute. For example hiring a prostitute for a friend, advertising oneself for sex in exchange for money and arranging a meeting with a prostitute are all violations of Maryland’s enticement laws and could possibly lead to criminal charges.

Code section 11-306 makes it illegal to:

• Participate in prostitution by asking for money for sex or offering money for sex.
• To own, operate or occupy a building used for sexual services.
• Let someone onto the premises so sexual acts for hire can occur.
• Allow personal private land or property to be used for sexual hire.
• Persuade or ask for, or offer to persuade or ask for assignation or prostitution.

In Maryland, It is possible for a person to face multiple charges. For example, a person could be charged with persuading or asking for prostitution and with letting a sex worker into private property to commit a wrongful sexual act in exchange for money. Any enticement offence in Maryland under the code section 11-306 is punishable by up to year imprisonment or a 500 dollar fine or both.

There are many defences against solicitation as prosecutors have to prove beyond reasonable doubt that a enticement law has been broken and it can sometimes be hard to prove that the defendant has crossed the line. For example, if the defendant is shown to hire an escort service, it doesn’t not necessarily mean that the defendant engaged in paid sexual acts with the escort but might have rather hired an escort due to just wanting company. A solicitation lawyer will attempt to undermine the case and introduce reasonable doubt. A solicitation lawyer may also use defences such as entrapment, lack of knowledge and lack of intent to avoid a conviction.

If you need a Maryland Solicitation Lawyer to help you with your Solicitation case in Maryland, call us at 888-437-7747. Our Maryland Solicitation Attorneys can help you.