What Are the Penalties for Solicitation of a Minor in Michigan?
If you face charges of soliciting a minor, you likely have serious concerns about the potential consequences of a conviction. Understanding the possible penalties for a solicitation conviction can help you make informed decisions at each stage of your case to protect your rights, reputation, and future.
Understanding Solicitation of a Minor Charges
Under Michigan law, a person commits a crime if they entice or solicit a child under 16 (regardless of whether the person knows the child’s age) or an individual they believe to be under 16 with the intent to induce, force, or encourage that child or individual to commit an immoral act, submit to an act of sexual intercourse or gross indecency, or engage in any other act of depravity or delinquency.
Criminal Penalties And Other Consequences
In Michigan, solicitation of a minor constitutes a felony punishable by up to four years in prison, a fine of up to $4,000, or both. A conviction for solicitation of a minor can have other consequences beyond a criminal sentence.
- A person convicted of soliciting a minor will have to register as a sex offender for 25 years, which requires the offender to update their registry information with police twice per year, and whenever that information (such as residential address, contact information, or employment) changes.
- A conviction will also result in a person having a criminal record that can cause significant social stigma that can harm personal relationships and make pursuing housing, employment, or educational opportunities more challenging.
- Even more significantly, a conviction of this sex offense may preclude you from volunteering at your child’s school, attending sports or other activities where children are present.
Potential Defenses to Charges
A person charged with soliciting a minor in Michigan may have various defense strategies to fight the prosecution’s case and seek a favorable outcome, such as a plea offer, dismissal of charges, or acquittal at trial. Potential defenses to solicitation charges include:
- Lack of Intent – A defendant may argue that they did not intend to induce, encourage, or force a child or a suspected child under 16 to engage in an immoral, indecent, or sexual act.
- No Act of Indecency – Defendants facing solicitation charges may present evidence proving that no indecent act involving the alleged victim occurred.
- Entrapment – In an entrapment defense, a defendant argues that a law enforcement officer or government agent induced or encouraged them to commit a crime they otherwise had no intention or inclination to commit. However, because juries can infer intent through circumstantial evidence, defendants succeed in entrapment defenses in very few cases.
- Unlawfully Obtained Evidence or Statements – A defendant may seek to exclude evidence by arguing that the police obtained it in an unlawful search or interrogation.
Contact a Criminal Defense Lawyer Today
If you’ve been charged with solicitation of a minor in Michigan, you need experienced legal advocacy from a sex crimes defense lawyer to help you avoid the harshest consequences of a conviction. Contact Kirsch Daskas Law Group PLLC today for a confidential consultation with our legal team. We’ll review the possible penalties and your legal options for facing the charge.
