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California Solicitation
Commonly Confused Terms:
- Solicitation – Under California Penal Code §647(b), Solicitation (or Solicitation for Prostitution) is the act of directing or asking someone to exchange money for sexual activity.
- Prostitution – Under California Penal Code §653.20(a), Prostitution is the act of exchanging money for sexual activity.
- Pandering – Under California Penal Code §266(i), Pandering is best known as the crime committed by a “pimp”. Pandering includes the following:
- Recruiting prostitutes for hire;
- Soliciting customers for a prostitute
- Loitering – Under California Penal Code §653.22, Loitering is the act of lingering on public property without a lawful purpose. When loitering is for the purpose of Soliciting Prostitution, it constitutes a more serious crime, punishable by California law.
- Pimp – The person responsible for encouraging, recruiting, or soliciting prostitutes.
- John – The male / female customer of a prostitute.
- Sting Operation – When an undercover female police officer poses as a prostitute and solicits drivers as they drive by. This is done for the purpose of breaking up a prostitution ring.
- Massage Parlor – Many businesses pose as massage parlors but really are undercover prostitution houses.
- Escort – Thinly veiled as a service where a beautiful woman accompanies a man on an outing, these are under the radar for California prostitution rings.
- Call Girl – Synonymous with escort, a Call Girl is a paid Escort to a man, which oftentimes leads to prostitution.
- Vehicle Forfeiture Program – Under the LA Municipal Code (§4820), this is a new program in Los Angeles County, where law enforcement will seize and impound your vehicle upon learning about a Prostitution, Solicitation, Pandering, or Loitering charge.
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YOUR BEST DEFENSE
Obtaining a skilled and experienced attorney who won’t sell you out is the first step toward protecting yourself from a prostitution charge. An effective criminal defense attorney such as Stephen G. Rodriguez & Associates can negotiate dismissal or reduction of the charges and keep you out of jail.
The criminal defense attorneys
at Stephen G. Rodriguez & Associates
are available 24-7 to assist in your winning
defense. Please contact
the firm immediately to discuss the
facts of your case, your witnesses, potential
defenses, and how you can benefit from alternative
sentencing.
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Solicitation
· Arrest
Pandering · Loitering
Crime · Penalty · Law
Los
Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney
California Criminal Lawyer
Solicitation
and the Law
In California
and most of the United States, the crimes
of Prostitution, Solicitation,
Pandering, and Loitering
are against the law. This isn’t
Nevada where licensed prostitution houses
are legal in some counties. Solicitation,
Prostitution, Pandering,
and Loitering are serious offenses
that carry life-changing consequences.
Prostitution law makes it a crime to
offer, agree to or engage in sexual
activity for money. In California, the
“John”, as well as the prostitute,
is aggressively prosecuted. First time
offenses are usually charged as misdemeanors
while subsequent offenses can be charged
as felonies.
Call
Girl or Escort
She may be advertised as a Call Girl, a Personal Escort, or a Masseuse, but exchanging money for sexual activities is, without a doubt, prostitution! Participation on either end could result in a criminal conviction.
Wrong
Place, Wrong Time
Thanks to sting operations, many prostitution arrests are made in large cities, such as Los Angeles and San Francisco. At any given moment, innocent citizens with no criminal history often find themselves accused and arrested for Solicitation for Prostitution by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Massage parlors and escort services are under high scrutiny because of the long companionship encounters and temptation to ‘cross the line’.
Prostitution Penalties
Your life can radically change with a prostitution, solicitation, pandering, or loitering offense. The penalties and consequences for these types of sexual offenses can be serious and include the following:
- Jail
- Probation
- Fines & Fees
- Court-Enforced Counseling
- AIDS Testing
- Community Service
- Cal Trans (physical labor)
- Public humiliation
- Loss of employment (for those with licenses or security clearances)
Other Penalty Considerations
For final sentencing other factors are considered, such as your criminal history, prior convictions, and current criminal status, including probation or parole.
Los Angeles -
The War Against Prostitution
California, (especially LA County) has been cracking down on prostitution, solicitation, pandering, and loitering. Some of the measures taken include:
- Breaking Prostitution Rings - Targeting massage parlors and escort services with regular raids and stings. The California police will pose as customers in an effort to discover how ‘intimate’ the session will become. Dozens of arrests are made on a weekly basis from these undercover tactics.
- Closing Unlawful Websites - Investigating Internet websites that advertise as companionship services. The legitimacy is questioned and tested by California law enforcement.
- Performing Sting Operations - Setting up roadside sting operations involving scantily clad, beautiful women who are undercover police officers, for the purpose of luring drivers to stop and talk to the decoys and get them to agree to sex for a price.
Law
Offices of Stephen G. Rodriguez
633 West 5th Street
26th Floor
Los Angeles, California 90071
Telephone
(213) 223-2173
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