Maryland Federal Sex Trafficking Lawyer
When a person is charged with a sex crime in federal court, the crime can involve the transport of people, young or old, from one state to another or from one country into the United States to be sold for sex or to perform sex acts. A Maryland federal sex crimes attorney can explain to someone charged with any of these offenses the severity of the charges and the repercussions of the charges for their future.
Most common federal sex crimes involve human trafficking. General sex crimes such as child molestation or rape are handled by the state courts. Usually, the federal agents get involved when sex crimes are inter-state, meaning there is a transport issue related to sex crimes between states or internationally. There is no special part of the government that investigates sex crimes and human trafficking. There are divisions in the FBI, CIA, and Secret Service that have sex crimes investigators on their staff.
Federal Human Trafficking Charges in Maryland
Scenarios where someone is charged with or investigated for human trafficking include when a person is alleged to have brought in young girls or boys from another country that may have been sold or kidnapped in that other country and then sold in this country as sex slaves in some capacity. In other examples, an individual is kidnapped, bought, or lured within the United States by human traffickers and brought to another state to be sold for the same purpose.
Unfortunately, there is an increase in sex trafficking of young people. It is one of the most common criminal acts being investigated by the federal government and is based on many Internet websites such as Craigslist and backpage.com. For that reason, it is a very important issue with federal prosecutors and federal agencies that investigate violations of the federal statue on sex trafficking crimes.
Federal Sex Trafficking Investigations vs. Other Federal Investigations
Sex trafficking investigations are investigations that continue for quite a long time. The authorities evaluate all of the players in a case. Generally, just as in drug cases, they are working with confidential informants who are trying to get the authorities to the source of the criminal activity.
One of the biggest challenges the government faces in sex trafficking cases is that the source is usually not within the United States, but is outside of the country. The United States has very close relationships with other countries because sex trafficking is illegal everywhere in the world. The authorities work with law enforcement in other countries to track down the source of any criminal act and have the individuals who committed the criminal act brought to justice.
Prosecution of Federal Human Trafficking Charges
Federal sex crimes are among the most serious criminal acts seen in the court system. The federal courts in Maryland do not usually see crimes of violence. Usually crimes of violence are handled at the state level. A federal sex crime is the closest thing to a crime of violence because it has an impact directly on other vulnerable members of society.
Usually, an assault charge or a rape charge or something where there is an actual victim on the other side of the offense, is handled by the state court. In the federal system, cases do not usually have a direct victim. For example, if someone has a large amount of drugs on them, there is not a direct victim related to that kind of criminal offense in federal court. If somebody took millions of dollars from a bank, there is probably not a direct victim. A big corporation is affected by that type of crime.
Sex crimes or sex trafficking cases usually have a victim associated with them. These kinds of cases are seen as particularly heinous by the Federal Court System.
Sex Trafficking Defenses in Maryland
A sex trafficking defense attorney must find out exactly what is alleged against the individual and get their version of the events. Oftentimes, mistaken identity or information about who was responsible for the crime can assist the attorney in getting the individual out of the charges alleged against them by sharing with the prosecutor what actually happened and where the flaw is with the prosecutor’s investigation.
Importance of Hiring a Lawyer with Federal Experience
Federal sex trafficking charges in Maryland come with serious lengths of incarceration. Federal prosecutors in this jurisdiction have a high success rate at prosecuting their cases. An attorney who has defended sex traffickers in the past and has experience working with federal prosecutors, investigators, and with these judges can be instrumental in assisting a person in resolving or negotiating any kind of federal crime, particularly felony crimes.
A person who attempts to handle a felony crime on their own, without the assistance of a Maryland federal sex trafficking lawyer who knows the different parties and knows the system and its’ vulnerabilities can have a negative impact on the resolution of the case.
High Stakes Trial Experience
A criminal defense attorney familiar with a high stakes trial knows the actual amount of effort that goes into preparing for that trial. There are many attorneys who are great attorneys, but they primarily focus their practice on misdemeanor cases. An attorney who focuses on misdemeanor cases is used to having very short relationships with their clients and with the case itself.
Usually, minor misdemeanor cases do not require a tremendous amount of investigation. A federal sex trafficking attorney in Maryland who has experience doing high profile, high stakes cases in the state or federal courts has a team of investigators who are able to tackle the various aspects of the case. The team ensures that the same resources available to the government are available to them so they can respond appropriately to the allegations brought against an individual.
Questions for Your Attorney
During a consultation with a prospective Maryland federal sex trafficking attorney, a person should ask about the attorney’s experience in these types of cases. The person should inquire about whether the attorney has relationships with the particular jurisdiction in which the person is charged. Also important is the experience an attorney has handling these particular kinds of crimes.
A person should ask the attorney to lay out a very preliminary strategy, a strategy of some kind as to what it is that the attorney hopes to achieve in their representation of the individual. Oftentimes, it is too soon at the first consultation to have that conversation, but an attorney should be able to lay out at least a plan to find that answer. When an attorney lays that plan out for the person to find that answer, it should give some comfort and understanding of the plan or what is expected to be investigated to develop a strategy for the individual’s defense in the case.