The popularity of chat rooms might have peaked about fifteen years ago, but they still attract millions of users every year. Forums have continued to maintain their popularity throughout the years. Some users of chat rooms and forums attempt to use the services to solicit minors for sexual activities either online or in person, which is why law enforcement agencies often conduct sting operations to catch predators on these sites. If you have been arrested after soliciting sex with a minor or sending harmful matter with the intent of seducing a minor, a chat room charges attorney in San Diego can help you fight the charges.
Chat Room Police Sting Operations
One of the most common ways for police to catch people trying to meet minors for sex or those who share child pornography with others online is to pose as minors or other fans of child pornography in chat rooms and forums. If you were arrested for a sex crime due to your behavior in a chat room, call a lawyer as soon as possible. In police sting operations, it is very common for a suspect’s rights to be violated and entrapment to occur. Additionally, computer crimes cases are highly complex, and investigators occasionally perform illegal search and seizure methods that can render evidence ineligible to be used in court.
Do Not Attempt to Defend Yourself!
As you have probably heard, what you say to the police can seriously harm your defense strategy. In many cases, suspects try to defend themselves to the police before and after they are placed in custody, but this is one of the worst things you can do in these cases. Claiming that you thought someone was over eighteen or that you never intended to actually have sex with someone who said they were a minor might seem like it could help your case, but it will instead be used as evidence against you. That is why you need to have a defense attorney on your side before you agree to speak with police or prosecutors.
If you are being accused of a sex crime related to something you said or did in a chat room or forum, please call (760) 643-4050 to schedule a free initial consultation with attorney Peter M. Liss.