What Are Internet Crimes?
Internet crimes are crimes that people commit online. Basically, internet crimes make use of the internet in some way. This category refers to a huge range of crimes, including human trafficking, child pornography, revenge porn, prostitution and even fraud and identity theft.
Police Entrapment
Daily, we can turn on the news and hear another story about someone being arrested for child pornography or for soliciting a child over the internet. To catch those doing these actions, law enforcement will pretend to be children or underage teens online as they phish for criminal activity over social media or in chat rooms.
Someone snared in this kind of police deception might find themselves in a situation of lost freedom, family and reputation for a meeting with a minor that they never actually committed! It works like this: The cops lure you to a meeting site to supposedly meet a child for some illicit purpose. When you get there, you meet a cop and not a kid. When prison time and sex offender registration are on the line, you need an experienced criminal defense team that knows how to defend these cases. The Kronzek Firm has done that successfully in the past.
Sometimes police go to illegal lengths to “prove” that someone has committed an internet crime. When this is the situation, you need an experiened criminal defense attorney to protect you. When police pretend to be minors and tempt innocent people into illicit interactions, there might be entrapment issues at hand. Depending on the specific situation, however, this internet sting operation might not be considered entrapment.
Michigan law defines “entrapment” as being lured by the government to commit a crime that otherwise would never have occurred. Because it can be very complex to prove that something would not happen, you need an experienced defense team on your side. Investing in great attorneys could be what helps you avoid a long prison sentence.
Child Pornography
Michigan law refers to child pornography as Child Sexually Abusive Material. This includes any recordings or images of a person under the age of 18 participating in illicit sexual activity. This could involve intercourse, sadomasochistic abuse, passive sexual involvement, erotic fondling, masturbation, sexual excitement, or erotic nudity. It’s all considered kiddie porn under Michigan law and federal law.
Child pornography is illegal. Michigan already takes child pornography crimes very seriously, but the Federal government has even more severe punishments for these crimes.
Some of the crimes related to child pornography include:
- Possession of Child Sexually Abusive Materials
- Production of Child Sexually Abusive Materials
- Enticement of a child to participate in Child Sex Distribution
- Sales, distribution and dissemination of Child Sexually Abusive Materials.
Being convicted of child porn related crimes has life-altering consequences. On top of spending decades in prison, those convicted bring a lot of pain to their families, lose their freedom, and forever ruin their reputation. In addition, those convicted almost always have their name listed on Michigan’s public sex offender registry. Being listed on the registry makes it very hard to find future employment and will make it difficult for this convict to rebuild their life after prison.
Because the consequences of child pornography are so harsh and will usually ruin your life forever, it is important that you invest in an experienced defense attorney. You should have an attorney that has extensive training working on these types of cases. Your attorney should also have a network of expert forensic computer experts to assist in your defense.
Sometimes, kiddie porn defenses involve complex technical analysis. Our office regularly works with the best computer analysts so that we work toward your defense. The Kronzek Firm attorneys have been defending people accused of child pornography and other sex offenses for decades. If you are facing a sex crime charge, contact us straightaway and call our office at 1 866-766-5245. We are ready to help you today.
Revenge Porn
Revenge porn is exactly what it sounds like: the act of publicly publishing sexually explicit images and videos of someone without their consent, as an act of revenge. These photos and videos are often shared to social media or specific sites meant for amateur or “homemade” pornography. Sometimes, a person will upload this content along with their former partner’s contact information and make a listing as an escort on a site like Backpage.com or Craigslist.
The goal of revenge porn is to publicly humiliate, disgrace or frighten the victim. Normally, the photos and videos were obtained consensually during a relationship, but they are shared once the relationship has ended. It often happens when one partner feels that the relationship ended prematurely, so this partner feels the need to get payback by posting these intimate images online.
The law is often slow to catch up to internet crimes, since internet crimes are relatively new phenomena. However, many states – Michigan included – have made it a crime to publish revenge porn. Senate Bills 924 & 925 were signed into law in April of 2016, making it illegal in Michigan to “intentionally disseminate sexually explicit visual material of another person.” Revenge porn is now a misdemeanor in Michigan, with the first offense resulting in a $500 fine, and a fine of $1,000 for all ensuing offenses.
How Our Firm Successfully Defends Against Internet Crimes
The Kronzek Firm criminal defense team has been aggressively defending internet sex crime cases for nearly a quarter century. Our cutting edge criminal defense is made possible through our partnership with witnesses that specialize in computer technology and other relevant fields. Over the decades, we have provided our clients with outstanding case results, involving dismissals and acquittals.
Since internet crimes are charged in both state and federal courts, you need an attorney who stays up to date in both. It is only through finding this kind of attorney that you will be able to escape jail and prison time.
The Kronzek Firm attorneys are well-versed in federal and state internet laws. We protect our clients and do everything in our power to clear their names. We work not just for you, but with you. Your attorney will collaborate with other attorneys in our firm to find the best solution for your specific case. We understand how distressing it can be to find yourself falsely accused for a crime, so we will work tirelessly to get the results that you need and deserve.
Internet crimes are extremely serious and you need to find an attorney to defend you right away. Don’t wait – call us today to set up a free consultation at 1-866-766-5245. Our attorneys are available by appointment and are on-call 24/7 in case of emergencies. The Kronzek Firm’s attorneys practice throughout Michigan’s lower peninsula, including Grand Rapids, Muskegon, Lansing, Metro Detroit, Kalamazoo, Flint, The Thumb, Livingston County, Bay County, and more.