Have you been arrested for sexual solicitation? We can help. Washington, DC has laws against both buying and selling sex. What is sexual solicitation? Pursuant to DC Code § 22–2701 a person commits the crime of sexual solicitation when the person invite, entice, offer, persuade, or agree to engage in prostitution or address for the purpose of inviting, enticing, offering, persuading, or agreeing to engage in a sex act. If you have been arrested for Sexual Solicitation in the District of Columbia and reading this article we hope to answer some of your questions. This article discusses the possible resolutions of your case. Rest assured this is not the end of the world and you will be fine. You may also want to watch our video on this sexual solicitation in the District of Columbia. After your arrest, the police probably released you from the police station after being booked. You should have been given a “citation release” with a future court date on it. If you have not talked to an attorney because you are nervous or scared, do not be. Your conversations with an attorney are confidential and go no further than your phone call.
This is a chart flow of what will happen in Court.
Do not do this alone. You need a lawyer that has handled sexual solicitation cases. – Let us help you today. We recognize that for the vast majority of our clients this is their first time ever being arrested. Most people charged with sexual solicitation are worried about the following:
Most of these sting operations are crimes that are “created” by the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department in which a undercover police officer (usually a scantily dressed female) who solicits an unsuspecting guy who engaged in a conversation with the undercover cop, and the guy agrees to the cop’s offer sex for money. Once the magic words are spoken (ie agrees to pay for sex), the arrest team moves in and the guy is arrested. Typically, these conversations between the undercover police and the suspect are not recorded. Therefore, it’s a he said-she said type of case in court
If this is your first offense and you have never benefitted from diversion programs in previous cases in Washington, D.C., you may be eligible to participate in diversion. In order to participate in diversion you must pass an initial drug screen and meet the requirements provided by the government. A good attorney can help negotiate diversion agreements with the government. Diversion may include completing community service at an approved non-profit organization over a period of 4 months. Whether your eligible to participate diversion rests solely on the U.S. Attorney’s Office. If you successfully complete diversion the case will be dismissed. If you are not eligible for diversion there are still options available.
The maximum penalty for sexual solicitation in the District of Columbia pursuant to DC Code § 22–2701 is 90 days and/or $500.00 dollar fine.
The maximum penalty for second offense for sexual solicitation in the District of Columbia pursuant to DC Code § 22–2701 is 180 days and/or $1000.00 dollar fine.
If you were arrested for sexual solicitation you should know – In the District of Columbia, Sexual Solicitation charge or prostitution charge occurs when someone is asked or directed to exchange money for sexual activity. This type of charge often arises as a result of police ” sting” operations, where a female officer will disguise herself as a prostitute in order to lure victims into committing solicitation of sex.
Actual exchange of money is not required in order for someone to be charged with solicitation of prostitution here in the District. In fact, without even having any physical evidence, it is possible for someone to be convicted for solicitation based on their statements alone. District of Columbia Metropolitan police officers are constantly monitoring websites such as Craigslist and Adult Friend Finder in search of prostitution.
Most defenses that are raised have to do with language barriers or that the statements used in the conversation do not rise to solicitation. Police officers love to solicit Uber and Lyft drivers and there are a multitude of defenses. Now, that’s not to say that you have no defenses for your charge. However, most of our cases are resolved through diversion. Please watch our video on sexual solicitation charges in the District of Columbia.
The metropolitan police are well aware of Backpage. If you go on backpage and then meet with someone, you may in fact be meeting an undercover officer. Backpage is one of the places that DC Metropolitan Police use to track down prostitution.
Yes, in the District of Columbia sexual solicitation is a misdemeanor.
Yes, sexual solicitation is an eligible misdemeanor in DC that can be sealed. The only question is how long it will take for it to be sealed. You should consult with us to discuss the time line for sealing of a sexual solicitation charge.
Yes you need to hire a lawyer. The crime of sexual solicitation is viewed as a crime of moral turpitude. Moral Turpitude is defined as conduct that is considered contrary to community standards of justice, honesty or good morals. So although sexual solicitation is a low end misdemeanor it carries significant penalties. It can have significant immigration consequences if you are not a citizen. A good DC prostitution lawyer will try to work out diversion where there is no admission of guilt.
The cost for lawyers vary. We have handled hundreds of these type of cases and charge first offense $1400.00. We once had a client call our office and ask if we were lawyers because most lawyers charge over 3k for this offense. Remember more does not mean better. Please read our article on arrested sexual solicitation how much do lawyers charge.
If you have been arrested for Sexual Solicitation in the District of Columbia, give us a call. – Free phone consultation
At Rollins and Chan, we have experience in representing people in these types of charges. Call us today for a free phone consultation
Mark and Ada have been representing people charged with sexual solicitation in DC for over 22 years.
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