Be careful who you chat with on the Internet

With the advent of the computer world, there is more and more legislation regarding proper and improper use of the internet. Recent California laws make it a crime to e-mail or electronically communicate with a child under 18. (288.2, 288.3, and 288.4 of the California Penal Code.) In certain situations, even mistake of age could still get you in trouble with the law if you discuss sexual related matters on line to a minor. Even if the person you are talking with electronically is a cop and represents him or herself as a minor, it is illegal to communicate anything of a sexual nature. Police throughout California have received grants from the federal government to conduct these sting operations where police pose as minors and enter chat rooms with the intent to getting an unsuspecting adult to begin to “chat” about sexual matters, catching them in the act of an Internet sex crime. Somewhere in the communication, the “police victim” will represent there age as under 18 years old. If you ever read any communication with a person represents themselves as under 18 years old, discontinue the communication immediately. Many times, these officers will ask you to meet them at a location. When you arrive, you are arrested for an attempted sex crime with a minor. The police also may send you a photo of a person who appears to be youthful in age asking to meet.

Wallin & Klarich have been successfully defending clients accused of such crimes since the enactment of the law. Dateline TV has aired many specials on television involving persons arrested for these internet crimes. If you or a loved one is being charged with improper communication with a minor, or an attempted sex crime (if you made some attempt to meet), call the California sex crime defense lawyers at Wallin & Klarich anytime at 888-749-0034 and visit us at www.wklaw.com. We will be here when you call.