Category Archives: Sex Crimes
When An Accuser’s Testimony Is The Only Evidence
Forensic evidence has come a long way in the past century. To appreciate this, try watching true crime documentaries about crimes that occurred in the 19th century or earlier. For example, in the 1830s in Scotland, four people were accused of killing people in order to supply bodies for surgeons to dissect in the… Read More »
Who Has Jurisdiction When A Crime Happens On An Airplane?
Jurisdiction is a legal term referring to which court has jurisdiction in a legal case. It applies in civil cases as well as criminal ones. For example, in probate cases, the state where the decedent was a legal resident at the time of his or her death has jurisdiction. In divorce cases, the Pennsylvania… Read More »
Pittsburgh Home Health Aide Pleads Guilty To Institutional Sexual Assault Of Patient
In recent decades, the United States and many other countries have stopped imposing criminal penalties for sexual activity between consenting adults. The gender or marital status of the parties involved does not categorize a sex act as a sex crime. Age is one of the factors that can render a sexual pairing legally off… Read More »
Undercover Officers Arrest Four Central Pennsylvania Men After Online Sting Operation
Police often engage in undercover operations to gather the evidence they need to make an arrest. In an undercover operation, a law enforcement agent pretends to be a willing accomplice who is seeking out a drug deal, soliciting clients for commercial sex, or otherwise attempting to engage in an illegal activity that, by nature,… Read More »
Fayette County Man Pleads Guilty In Federal Court To Internet Sex Crimes
Your high school civics teacher was right that most of the laws that affect your daily life are state laws. From the dos and don’t of cannabis consumption to the definition of distracted driving and the age at which a teenager is too old for juvenile court, many laws vary substantially from one state… Read More »
Is There Really A Criminal Offense Called Sextortion?
Every generation acts like the one after it invented sex. Parents today are outraged about their kids sexting, just as our parents were outraged about us booty dancing, our grandparents were outraged about the free love movement, and their parents were outraged about the jitterbug. Even though its name sounds like a clickbait neologism,… Read More »
Westmoreland Man Gets Three-Year Prison Sentence After Pleading Guilty To Sexual Assault Of Teen
It is easy to use Google to convince yourself that your worst fears are about to come true. If you scroll far enough down the list of search results, you can become 99 percent certain that your headache is a brain tumor, your toddler’s tantrums are a personality disorder, and it is impossible to… Read More »
Yes, You Can Get A Prison Sentence For Failing To Register Paperwork
A man goes to prison because he did not file a form that he was supposed to file. It sounds like a nightmare out of Kafka’s imagination, but it can happen right here in Pennsylvania. For example, you can get criminal penalties for failing to file an income tax return, but most of the… Read More »
Bucks County Man Sentenced To At Least 49 Years In Prison For Sexually Assaulting Five Children
In theory, the punishment for a crime should be proportionate to the extent to which the harm the victim suffered because of it can be repaired. In cases where the crime only caused financial losses to the victims, it is possible to compensate the victims for their financial losses by ordering payment of restitution… Read More »
Evans City Man Accused Of Indecent Assault Of Teen After Registering On Megan’s List
When criminal defense lawyers discuss possible sentences for crimes, sometimes in the context of plea deals, the discussion tends to center on avoiding prison time. Criminal cases result in the defendant pleading guilty more than nine times as often as they result in the case going to trial. This is because, by pleading guilty,… Read More »
