Solicitation of Sex in Michigan
It is illegal to solicit anyone to commit a crime in Michigan. Solicitation means inciting someone to commit a crime. The act of soliciting a person to commit a crime is, in and of itself, a separate crime. Along those same lines, conspiracy to commit a crime is also a crime that is separate from the actual crime itself. Solicitation of sex means inciting someone to prostitute themselves.
Our Michigan solicitation of prostitution law states: “A person 16 years of age or older who accosts, solicits, or invites another person in a public place or in or from a building or vehicle, by word, gesture, or any other means, to commit prostitution or to do any other lewd or immoral act, is guilty of a crime.”
Solicitation doesn’t include sexual acts
To be charged with solicitation of prostitution in Michigan, a person does not need to have actually committed any sexual act. Normally, people are charged with solicitation during a sting operation. A sting operation occurs when police officers go undercover to try to catch criminals and in this case, the crime is soliciting a prostitute.
Oftentimes, female police officers will dress up as prostitutes and wait for men (“Johns”) to solicit them for paid sex. The officer will normally be working with a group of other police officers to catch the potential criminal. As soon as someone solicits the undercover officer, the rest of the team will swoop in to quickly arrest the person (“the John”) that is soliciting sex for pay.
Again, an illegal sexual act is not required for the arrest to occur. An exchange of money is also not required for the arrest. Simply proposing paying for sex is the act of soliciting under Michigan law.
Penalties for Solicitation
If this is a first offense, solicitation is a misdemeanor crime with a potential sentence of up to 93 days in jail, a fine of $500, or both.
For second offenders, solicitation of sex is still a misdemeanor crime, but with a sentence of up to 1 year in jail, a fine of $1,000, or both. For third and subsequent offenders, solicitation of sex is a felony crime with charges of up to 2 years in prison, a fine of up to $2,000, or both.
Finding the Right Attorneys for a Sex Crime Case
All sex crimes should be treated seriously, whether it’s a 93-day misdemeanor or a 20-year felony. If you are being investigated for or charged with a sex crime in Michigan, you need to hire a highly experienced sex crime defense attorney right away.
At The Kronzek Firm, we have worked on cases involving every type of criminal sexual conduct charge in Michigan. We work confidentially, quickly and aggressively to protect our clients from a criminal investigation or criminal charges relating to solicitation, prostitution, or any other sex crime.
Your Discrete and Confidential Michigan Sex Crime Attorneys
Our criminal defense attorneys at The Kronzek Firm have been at this work for decades, allowing our attorneys to be extremely experienced in handling sex crimes and related charges.
We have helped clients accused of sex crimes throughout all of the lower peninsula of Michigan. We are ready to help you next! Call us today for a free, immediate, and confidential consultation.
At The Kronzek Firm, we don’t judge you; we fight for you. We want to work with you and help you move beyond this problem to minimize the damage. We keep your information very confidential and secure to the fullest extent possible while our top sex crime defense attorneys are fighting for you.
Contact or call The Kronzek Firm today at 866-766-5245 (1 – 866- 7NoJail)
to speak with a skilled Michigan criminal defense attorney right away!