A charge of arranging a meeting with a minor for sexual purposes is a frustrating law for many reasons. For example, it does not actually require that the accused met with the minor or intended to meet with the minor. All they must be “guilty” of is making a meeting to meet with the minor. This makes it challenging to defend.
That said, with the right criminal defense attorney on your side, you have options. Keep reading to learn some of the defense options we might use but remember that every case is unique. When you call Chambers Law Firm at 714-760-4088, we can create the defense that is best for your specific case.
You weren’t drawn to the person for sexual reasons
Only if you were motivated by an unhealthy sexual interest in children/minors when you organized the encounter are you guilty of arranging a meeting with a minor for sexual purposes. Maybe it wasn’t the case for you. You may have been motivated by loneliness or boredom instead.
It’s also possible that you had a hazy romantic interest in the person with whom you were communicating—but you wouldn’t consider having a sexual relationship with a minor—and were simply interested in getting to know him/her better now (and possibly beginning a romantic relationship with him/her later, once s/he was of legal age).
You had no intention of engaging in obscene behavior throughout the encounter
You cannot be convicted of arranging to meet a juvenile for lewd purposes unless you genuinely meant to engage in sexual behavior at the meeting in issue, even if you were motivated by a love or sexual interest in the minor. The facts surrounding the arranged meeting may support your claim that you had no intention of engaging in obscene behavior there.
Was the meeting meant to be held somewhere open to the public? Was it scheduled for the middle of the day? At a moment when you needed to be somewhere else right away (like back at work or school)? These are all signs that you did not intend to engage in obscene behavior
You were completely unaware that the individual you were meeting was a juvenile
If there is proof that you truly and reasonably believed the “victim” was over the age of 18, you and your criminal defense lawyer will wish to defend this legal argument. At the very least, a California jury may be hesitant to convict you for this felony if they believe you were unaware that you were arranging a meeting with a child.
Entrapment was used against you
Entrapment happens when a police officer is overbearing, causing a defendant to engage in actions that he or she would not have done otherwise. Entrapment is a legal defense to a variety of offenses in California, including prostitution and solicitation.
