Torrance Sex Crime Defense Attorney
What is a Sex Crime?
Any unlawful sexual contact, behavior, or intercourse is considered a sex crime. There are a variety of sex crimes in Torrance, CA, ranging from child molestation to indecent exposure. If you’re facing false accusations of committing a sex crime, you should consult with our sex crime defense attorneys at Wallin & Klarich to protect your reputation and freedom.
Sex Crimes in Torrance, CA
For over 40 years, our attorneys at Wallin & Klarich have provided solid legal representation to clients facing a wide range of sex crimes in Torrance, CA, which include but are not limited to:
- Sexual assault or battery
- Soliciting a prostitute
- Engaging in prostitution
- Statutory rape
- Rape
- Failure to register as a sex offender
- Indecent exposure
- Lewd conduct
- Child sexual abuse
- Child pornography
Penalties for Sex Crimes | What You’re Facing
You could face life-changing penalties if someone accuses you of a sex crime in Torrance, California. Sentencing for sex crime convictions varies depending on your specific charges and criminal history. While some sex crime charges, like sexual assault, are “wobblers” and can be filed as either a misdemeanor or felony, rape and certain sex crimes involving children are always considered felonies. We’ve outlined the penalties for misdemeanor and felony sex crimes below.
Misdemeanor
- Jail
For example, a conviction for indecent exposure or lewd conduct can result in a maximum six-month jail sentence, while misdemeanor sexual battery could land you in jail for up to one year. - Fines
A conviction for indecent exposure or lewd conduct may result in up to a $1,000 fine. On the other hand, you may be required to pay up to a $3,000 fine for misdemeanor sexual battery. - Probation
- Sex offender registration
Felony
- Prison
A rape conviction carries a sentence of 3 to 8 years in prison, but if the alleged victim suffered severe injuries, you might be sentenced to an additional 3 to 5 years in prison. - Fines
You may be required to pay $5,000 in fines for a rape conviction, but aggravating factors can significantly increase the total amount. - Sex offender registration
- Required to disclose the conviction on employment applications
- Banned from possessing firearms
- Strike on your record- Under California’s Three Strikes Law
Professional and Personal Consequences
On top of the legal consequences, a sex crime conviction will dramatically change the rest of your life. Before you’ve even received a fair trial, the social stigma attached to sex crime allegations may disrupt your career and personal relationships. If you’re convicted of a sex crime, people that you had close relationships with may avoid you or end your relationship altogether. Unfortunately, registering as a sex offender makes it next to impossible to meet new people and form friendships. Most people will judge you just from the information available online rather than taking the time to get to know you.
This problem of isolation can be made worse by the inability to get a decent job and suitable housing. Many landlords do not rent to sex offenders, regardless of the laws prohibiting them from doing so. The same is true for employers. Some of them won’t give your job application a second thought before tossing it into the trash, especially for felony convictions that you’re required by law to disclose.
Some professions require licensures, such as teaching, law, reality, medicine, and many more. You may be subject to discipline from the board and possibly banned from your profession because of a sex crime conviction. Besides being completely humiliating and stressful, it’s hard to pay the fees and fines ordered by the court without a decent job.
At Wallin & Klarich, our experienced sex crime defense attorneys understand the battles that you’re facing. With over 40 years of experience defending clients accused of sex crimes, we are here to provide you with expert legal guidance to prove your innocence.
Fight Back | Possible Defenses Against Sex Crime Charges
Facing sex crime allegations is unthinkable for most people until it happens to them. When you’re falsely accused of a sex crime, you question everything and feel unsure of who to trust or where to turn to for real help, understandably so. For 40+ years, clients accused of sex crimes have consistently turned to Wallin & Klarich for our aggressive defense strategies and solid reputation in Torrance and the rest of Southern California. Our team will investigate the details of the sex crime allegations against you and craft a defense tailored to the strengths of your case. We’ve successfully presented a variety of effective defenses for sex crimes in the past, which include but are not limited to:
False Accusation
Like many people, most of our clients were sure that they could never be falsely accused of a sex crime. Unfortunately, they discovered that people make false accusations of all sorts. While the motivation for doing so varies from anger to jealousy, it is within your legal rights to claim that the accusations are false and show evidence of your accuser’s true motivation. However, when presenting this defense in court, you need the help of a skilled Torrance sex crime attorney. You’re facing experienced prosecutors who will challenge you at every turn and pursue your conviction with their full legal power.
Our attorneys at Wallin & Klarich provide the experience and skill necessary to present compelling evidence that calls the alleged victim’s credibility into question while persuading the court of your innocence. This defense requires a delicate balance of the facts and a convincing presentation. While many have tried and failed, we’ve successfully argued this defense in many cases. If someone is falsely accusing you of a sex crime, contact us immediately for your free consultation.
No Sexual Contact
In order to convict you of sex crimes, like sexual battery or rape, the prosecution must prove that you had sexual contact with the alleged victim. For example, let’s say you are accused of sexually assaulting a classmate after a football game. You hung out with the alleged victim along with a group of other people for a while after the game, but you and a few friends left about 20 minutes later to go eat. In this case, your attorney would present evidence to show sexual contact or rape was not possible in that 20-minute timeframe. The evidence could include testimony from the people that saw you during that time and the friends that you left with, as well as receipts from the restaurant. If your attorney can prove that no sexual contact occurred, the allegations against you will be dropped. Another common aspect of this defense is that there can be contact, without it being sexual. It is common for the alleged victim to feel as though certain gestures or touches were sexual in nature when in reality it was entirely accidental, lacking intent.
Insufficient Evidence
There are times when the prosecution pursues sex crime charges without enough evidence to prove your guilt. For example, your former tenant accused you of sexual battery, but he did not seek a medical evaluation or tell anyone about the alleged incident, which occurred a year prior to his eviction. After being kicked out, he files a false report with the police to get revenge. Your attorney would argue that a false report is the only evidence against you. If there’s insufficient evidence to prove your guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, our attorneys can present this defense to get your charges dismissed.
Entrapment
Entrapment might be a solid defense if your sex crime charge resulted from an undercover operation. For example, you meet a woman on a dating website, and she later reveals that she’s underage. This minor, who is actually an undercover police officer, complains about her dysfunctional home life and keeps asking to meet you. After denying her repeated requests, you finally agree to meet her. Once you arrive, you’re arrested and charged with solicitation of a minor. Your attorney may argue the undercover officer pushed you into committing the crime by repeatedly asking you to meet. If successful, the entrapment defense can result in the dismissal of your charges.
Mistaken Identity
Victims and eyewitnesses can accuse the wrong person of a sex crime when emotions run high. For example, a sexual attack occurs in your apartment building. The victim describes the attacker as a tall man fitting your description. You are picked up and put in a lineup because of your criminal history and a number of other factors. The victim picks you out of the lineup because your face is familiar. If this happened in your case, our attorneys could argue this defense on your behalf and present evidence that you do not fit the profile of a sexual predator, such as the testimony of experts and character witnesses.
Hiring The Right Sex Crime Defense Attorney | How We Can Help You
You don’t settle for an average lawyer with your future at stake. Instead, you hire an experienced attorney with the knowledge to defend you against serious charges. At Wallin & Klarich, we believe everyone deserves excellent legal representation. While choosing the right defense lawyer requires careful consideration of many factors, four key aspects quickly set skilled law firms apart from the rest:
- Commitment to clients
- Integrity in action
- Legal expertise
- Community respect
Our Commitment To You | The Wallin & Klarich Difference
At Wallin & Klarich, we are committed to our clients. When you trust us with your case, we never take it lightly because we understand your life’s hanging in the balance. We set aside time to go over what to expect and any new developments in your case, so you don’t feel overwhelmed. Our attorneys treat you with integrity, starting with an honest, genuine conversation between us. We’re upfront with all our fees from the very beginning, and once we’ve had time to investigate your case thoroughly, we lay all your available options on the table. To ensure your questions and concerns never go unheard, we return your phone calls and emails within 24 hours and keep an on-call criminal defense lawyer for after-hours legal emergencies. Most importantly, we guarantee a judgment-free environment for you and your loved ones.
Wallin & Klarich | Unparalleled Legal Expertise
Our 40+ years of experience sets us apart from the crowd of defense lawyers. We’ve successfully defended thousands of clients falsely accused of sex crimes. Some of our clients came to us with nowhere else to turn and no hope of winning their case. However, our background allowed us to spot strengths in their cases, which an attorney with less experience would’ve missed.
By tailoring our defense strategies to fit the specific details of your case, we increase your chance of success. We have the added advantage of knowing the techniques of local prosecutors and the personalities of judges in Torrance. Our passion for defending the unfairly accused is the driving force behind each of our attorneys at Wallin & Klarich.
Discover how our experienced criminal defense attorneys can help you fight false accusations in Torrance, CA. Contact us today at (877) 4-NO-JAIL.
Respected & Recognized | Wallin & Klarich
The community recognizes the Wallin & Klarich name for our strong values and legal expertise. For over 40 years, we’ve built our powerful reputation by maintaining our integrity, valuing our relationships with clients, and consistently striving to redefine excellence. For more insight, check out our recent and past success in the courtroom.
Our Notable Cases | Wallin & Klarich Newsworthy Legal Strategies
Many attorneys point to their experience or skill at defending sex crime cases, but our attorneys deliver positive results even in the most complex legal dilemmas. Over the past 40+ years, many of our legal battles have captured the media’s attention. Television, newspapers, and the digital world have covered some of our most notable moments. We encourage you to explore our newsworthy cases below to learn more about our law firm.