Access to the internet is ubiquitous. Many New Orleans residents can get online through their work or home computers, smart phones or at their local libraries or schools. While many online activities, such as checking email or updating a social media account, may be harmless, other activities can result in a person facing serious criminal charges.
Some individuals choose to use the internet as a way to meet new people. Persons with predilections for different types of partners can find forums of like-minded individuals online and with whom they may choose to connect. However, not all relationships are considered socially appropriate and some are even criminalized by state and federal law.
For example, the online solicitation of a minor may result in a person facing sex crime charges that could land him in prison for many years. Additionally, accessing or viewing certain images can send red flags to officials who monitor internet use for perceived deviant behavior. While many people believe that their true identities are protected when they use online profiles, law enforcement organizations have been known to use covert operations to catch people communicating in certain ways with children online.
Not all such sting operations are legal and, in some cases, authorities use inappropriate means to entrap internet users before charging them with internet sex crimes. For these reasons individuals facing investigations for such accusations can benefit from working with trained criminal defense attorneys who understand the legal ramifications of online behaviors.
The Law Office of Robert S. Toale understands that a person’s personal life should stay private. How a person chooses to spend their time online is a personal decision. If, however, a person finds that he has been pulled into a legal headache due to the far-reaching efforts of the police to crackdown on suspected criminals, he may choose to visit the firm’s website on internet sex crimes for more information.