On behalf of Rosenblum Schwartz & Fry posted in Sex Crimes on Tuesday, January 15, 2019.
We spotlight a fundamental point regarding sex crime outcomes in Missouri on our Rosenblum Schwartz & Fry website. We stress at our established St. Louis criminal defense law offices that, “The stigma and criminal penalties associated with a sex crime conviction are significant.”
Moreover, they attach to wide-ranging behavior. Many people might reasonably link sex crimes with violent acts like rape or sexual assault, but the possibilities go far beyond that. They additionally encompass child pornography (possession or distribution), prostitution-tied charges, child molestation and unlawful Internet conduct.
That last category is an especially emergent area of criminal law concern and exponentially growing focus of authorities investigating criminal sexual behavior. It centrally includes so-called “revenge porn,” a topic recently spotlighted in a St. Louis Post-Dispatch article.
Missouri legislators enacted a revenge porn law just last year. That edict renders it a felony criminal offense for an individual to show the naked or partially nude body of another person online via images or videos absent their explicit consent. That includes instances where images were willingly provided in a relationship that subsequently terminated.
The Post-Dispatch piece cites just such a relationship. It notes images that were allegedly uploaded online maliciously to multiple individuals on Facebook by a disgruntled St. Louis County man in the wake of a breakup with his girlfriend.
That individual has been charged under the revenge porn law with “nonconsensual dissemination of private sexual images.” He potentially faces a prison term of up to seven years if convicted on the charge.
Missouri defendants facing harsh state criminal exactions – especially individuals accused of sexual crimes – have a dire need for focused and aggressive legal counsel. They can turn to attorneys at a proven criminal defense law firm for guidance and diligent representation.