Category Archives: Sex Offense
What to Do if Charged with a Sex Offense
Being charged with a sex offense is stressful and potentially life-changing. The consequences of criminal charges, even without a conviction, are serious and can affect both your personal and professional life. After you are charged, it is natural to feel unsure of what to do and the next steps to take. Below, our Fort… Read More »
Things to Know About Sexual Battery
Being convicted of sexual battery carries very serious consequences. These include prison sentences that can last for decades. A conviction will also leave your career, reputation, and freedom at significant risk. The first step toward protecting your future is to fully understand the charges against you, as well as the defenses available in these… Read More »
What is the Romeo and Juliet Law in Florida?
Many states have Romeo and Juliet laws. In many cases, these laws provide an exception the statutory rape laws. For example, in other states, Romeo and Juliet laws do not prosecute individuals who engaged in sexual intercourse with someone who was a teenager but relatively close to their age. However, this is not how… Read More »
What Is the Statute of Limitations in Florida Sexual Battery Prosecutions?
In Florida, there are specific time limits within which crimes, including some sex crimes, can be prosecuted. This is known as the statute of limitations. In most cases, the statute of limitations for sex crimes ranges from between one to eight years, depending on the severity of the offense. If the state does not… Read More »
Can a Mental Health Disorder Lead to a Reduced Criminal Sentence in Florida?
In Florida, judges have broad discretion when sentencing a defendant convicted of a crime. While criminal offenses have a “lowest permissible sentence,” a judge can decide to make a downward departure from that minimum if two conditions are met. First, there must be a valid legal ground, as well as adequate factual support for… Read More »
Can a Witness Testify Against You Via Zoom in a Florida Criminal Trial?
One of the most important rights that a defendant has in a Florida criminal prosecution is to “confront” the witnesses and other evidence against them. The Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution explicitly protects this right of confrontation. As one Florida appellate judge recently observed, the Sixth Amendment was a direct response to… Read More »
Can You Receive “Multiple Punishments” for the Same Crime in Florida?
You have likely heard the term “double jeopardy” used in connection with criminal law, although you may be unsure what it really means. The Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution–as well as Article 1 of the Florida Constitution–state that a person cannot be placed in legal jeopardy twice for the same criminal offense…. Read More »
Can the Police Search Property You Don’t Claim to Own?
In most cases, the police need a warrant before they can search your property without your consent. More precisely, the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution protects you from an unreasonable search in any place where you have a “reasonable expectation of privacy.” This includes any devices where you may store private information,… Read More »
Understanding the “Right to Remain Silent” in Fort Lauderdale
Whenever Fort Lauderdale police question you in connection with a criminal investigation, you have the right to remain silent. The police must advise you of this right before conducting a custodial interrogation. But you always have the right to refuse to answer questions even in non-custodial settings. Florida Man Receives 15-Year Sentence After Volunteering… Read More »
Ex-Royal Caribbean Employee Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Producing Child Pornography
Medical professionals define voyeurism as an interest in observing unsuspecting people while they undress, are naked, or engage in sexual activities. Many people suffer from voyeuristic disorder, which means they regularly have intrusive thoughts of engaging in voyeurism, even if they never act upon them. Unfortunately, some people do act upon these thoughts and… Read More »