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Sex Crime Defense

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Sex Crime Lawyer

When charged with a Minnesota sex crime, it’s time for help from the best sex crime lawyer you can find. And Minneapolis Sex Crime Lawyer Thomas Gallagher is here to help you.

But experience is a must.  Thomas Gallagher represents clients accused of criminal sexual conduct, sexual assault, rape, as well as underage and other sex crimes.  And he’s been successfully doing so since 1988, in Minnesota state and federal court.

These are serious cases, with serious consequences.  So they call for some serious legal power.  Call Gallagher now to begin solving the problem.

Sex Crime Attorney Thomas Gallagher provides the best defense
Sex Crime Attorney Thomas Gallagher: the best defense

This page will cover some basic issues related to these cases, with links to more in-depth pages.

First is the problem of the innocent person facing a false accusation.

Next is the problem of those who are guilty and what the best solution is for them.

After that, we’ll explore the categories of these crimes and types of criminal charges and defenses within these categories.

In addition, we’ll look at some defense issues and potential consequences of conviction.  And we’ll consider what to look for in the best sex crime lawyer.

The Wrongly Accused & the Sex Crime Lawyer

False allegations of sex crimes against innocent people is a serious problem.  It’s been a horrific problem for since the dawn of history.  And it remains a problem to this day.

A person may wrongly accuse another for many reasons .  If you’re innocent, you know that you are. But can you know why another person makes a false accusation?

jordan-minn-jan9-85. Let's not let it happen again.
Let’s not let it happen again

You may not understand why someone is accusing you of something you did not do.

You may speculation about it irresistible.  But you may never really know.

How then can you prove your innocence in court?  Fortunately, you don’t need to.  The law puts the burden of proving guilt with real evidence upon the prosecutor.

The best sex crime attorney won’t allow the prosecutor to shift the burden of proof.  So we can’t let them ask you to prove why the accusations are false.  Who can prove a negative?  And if they can’t come up with real evidence of guilt, there’s a reason for that.  That reason?  You’re not-guilty!

Experienced Sex Crime Lawyers can help analyze the facts to understand the why.  And we can find the tells that will show the lie.

Revenge: motive for a false accusation of a sex crime
Revenge: motive for a false accusation

The Guilty

Sex crimes defendants run the continuum from the most culpable to the least.  But if the court adjudicates someone guilty, the court will need to determine a just sentence.  After a guilty plea or a jury trial verdict, the court will schedule a sentencing hearing.

The sentence should be fair for the offender, any identifiable victims, and for the community.

In some cases the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines call for a presumptive sentence of prison commitment. But, it is important to know about recidivism rates. And people who enter and successfully complete tough sex offender treatment programs, less often re-offend; than those who go to prison.

A Minnesota sex offender treatment program accepting a defendant can be the key.  It can convince the court that probation is a better alternative.  A good sex crime lawyer can help guide his client into a treatment program; and get probation instead of prison.

Categories of Sex Crimes

There are three types of Minnesota sex crimes, with examples:

  1. Penetration. Criminal Sexual Conduct in the First and Third Degrees.
  2. Touch. Criminal Sexual Conduct in the Second and Fourth Degrees.
  3. Non-touch. Indecent Exposure, Child Porn, Revenge Porn.
Thomas Paine

“He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression.

– Thomas Paine

Defense Issues

With the frequency of false accusations; you should retain the best sex crime lawyer for help during the police investigation, before the filing of any charges.

Pre-charge counsel can help prevent charges from ever being filed in court, or mitigate the damage should they be filed.

Police generally want to talk to the target of the accusation.

But you should not talk to police at all, without first consulting a lawyer experienced in sex crimes defense.  Moreover, you should avoid doing many things.  A few things can help the situation.  And you should thoroughly review these with your paid legal counsel.

You should hire a lawyer early.  But if you haven’t yet, the best sex crime attorney should be retained immediately after charges are filed.

Defenses:

  • Consent
  • Age
  • Relationship
  • Exculpatory evidence
  • Computer-based evidence
  • Search and Seizure issues
  • Evidentiary issues, chain of custody, admissibility
DNA evidence leads to both false convictions; and exonerations
DNA evidence: false convictions & exonerations

Consequences of Conviction

Most, though not all Minnesota sex crimes are felonies

And we discuss the consequences of felonies, gross misdemeanors and misdemeanors on other pages of this website; as well as so-called collateral consequences.

Predatory offender registration (sometimes also referred to as sex offender registration) is one collateral consequence of most sex crime charges.

Predatory Offender Registration

Almost all Minnesota sex crime charges will trigger “predatory offender registration.”  Some non-sex crimes will, also.

Overly broad:  If a Complaint charges a crime on the predatory offender registration statute’s list, and the person is not convicted of that charge; but is later convicted for “another offense arising out of the same set of circumstances;” then the statute still requires them to register as a predatory offender.  Minnesota Statutes Section 243.166, subd. 1b.

Consider an example:  Someone falsely accuses you of a sex crime requiring registration if convicted.  And then the court dismisses that charge; but convicts of you of another offense that would not trigger registration, like misdemeanor assault — cause fear.  You frightened someone, but did nothing sexual, nothing predatory.  So, do you have to register under the statute?  Yes.

Even if a jury finds you not guilty of a sex crime, but furnishing liquor to a minor? According to Minnesota courts, yes! This offends the sense of justice for most people.

Clearly, this law is unjust and unfair.  But so far the courts have upheld it as constitutional.

In order to avoid registration, you’ll need sex crime attorney with experience fighting these cases.

More information on sex crimes defense

Sex crimes defense cases are an important part of our practice. And that’s why we have extensive and valuable online resources on related topics and issues.  Here are the most popular, with links.

GallagherDefense.com:

Not-Guilty

Overview of Minnesota Criminal Sexual Conduct Laws

Minnesota Criminal Sexual Conduct Statutes | Minnesota Sex Laws

Underage Consensual Sex | Statutory Rape

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Juveniles facing sex crime charges in Minnesota

Child Pornography Defense

Predatory Offender Registration

Indecent Conduct Crimes in Minnesota

Prostitution Laws in Minnesota


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Minneapolis Criminal Law Blog

Minneapolis Criminal Law Blog:

Romeo and Juliet Law: Minnesota Sex Crimes Based On Age

Jesus as Defense Lawyer: The Woman Accused of Adultery

Prostitution and Minnesota Law

Thomas Gallagher, Sex Crime Lawyer in Minneapolis
Thomas Gallagher, Sex Crime Lawyer

Question? You can call Minneapolis Sex Crime Attorney Thomas Gallagher at 612 333-1500

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