If you or a loved one is facing a prostitution-related charge, you may need to contact a lawyer. Prostitution offenses are taken seriously in Arizona courts, earning convictions as high-level misdemeanors or low-level felonies depending on the circumstances surrounding your offense. The charge can cover a range of activities, including anything from solicitation to the management of a prostitution ring, which means that your defense strategy can vary widely.
An attorney skilled in defending against sex crime charges can help you work towards fighting the charge, lowering your sentence, or possibly getting the charges dismissed entirely. Attorney Charity Clark has gained over 12 years of experience in defending her clients against serious charges in many of Arizona’s courts, with a special focus on the complex investigation and defense processes involved in sex crime offenses. For a chance to have your case evaluated by an expert criminal defense attorney, contact Charity Clark Law to schedule a free consultation today.
A prostitution-related charge does not always mean engaging in the acts of prostitution yourself; it often includes one of the many things an individual can do to facilitate acts of prostitution as well.
Arizona Revised Statutes defines prostitution as:
“Engaging in or agreeing or offering to engage in sexual conduct under a fee arrangement with any person for money or any other valuable consideration.”
Like with many other crimes, you may be charged simply based on the intention to carry out an act of prostitution. Furthermore, an exchange of money or other valuable consideration does not need to be carried out or completed to be charged with a prostitution offense. In short, you can be charged with a prostitution offense even if the sexual conduct never occurred or the fee was never paid.
Many types of conduct qualify under the “sexual conduct” term mentioned in the legal definition of prostitution, and the prosecution may be very generous about what constitutes a “fee.” For these reasons, it’s important to have a defense attorney who will examine your case from all angles to ensure that the courts don’t take advantage of ambiguous terms to give you a harsher sentence.
Baseline Penalties
There are guidelines for the penalties associated with a prostitution conviction. In general, if there are no aggravating factors, a first-time offense will be deemed a class 1 misdemeanor, which means:
The minimum imprisonment term increases for second and third-time offenders, rising to 30 days and 60 days, respectively.
For 3+ convictions of the same nature, the penalties increase to the level of a class 5 felony. With this conviction, you can expect:
Felony convictions pose a bigger problem for your future, with the loss of certain rights and a criminal record that may make it difficult to find employment.
There are circumstances that may affect both your charge and the defense strategies that are suited to your case. Some examples of the situations that can complicate your defense are:
With prostitution charges, there are often many individuals implicated when even a single person is caught by police, so it’s crucial to have an attorney evaluate your case and establish your involvement.
Charity Clark is one of the smartest attorneys I’ve ever met. She is aggressive, intelligent, and not afraid to fight for you. Her trial skills are unmatched. She knows how to handle a jury and argues the law like a champ. She will champion her client until the end and achieves real results.
Charity was amazing and took care of everything. She answered all my questions quickly and was so polite. They took care of my case with ease and definitely took a load off my shoulders. Not only did they both do great work they got the response from the court we were hoping for. Charity is "THE BEST".
If you need help defending yourself against a charge that could put your future in jeopardy, attorney Charity Clark should be your first call. With a devoted team, proven skill at crafting creative defense techniques, and over a decade of experience, Charity Clark offers a strong partnership to anyone facing prostitution charges.
Regardless of where you are in the process of criminal proceedings, it’s never too late to find a dedicated lawyer to defend your rights. To set up a free 30 minute consultation with Charity Clark Law, contact us by phone or online today.
We are proud to serve clients in Phoenix, Mesa, Tempe, and other cities in the Phoenix metropolitan area.
