Wicomico Solicitation Lawyer
When you are accused of solicitation, you will notice an immediate change in the way that your friends, professional colleagues, and even your own family members look at you. While the public may be more willing to excuse the occasional lapse in judgment that leads to a DUI or other alcohol-related offense, individuals often are not so willing to tolerate allegations of misconduct that are of a sexual nature.
These personal consequences, not to mention the criminal penalties, that can result from a solicitation conviction underscore the need to get legal advice about your situation from a Wicomico solicitation lawyer prior to admitting guilt or taking any other actions with respect to pending criminal charges. Reach out to a seasoned defense attorney to learn more about how a legal professional could help you.
Solicitation Legally Defined
Solicitation, or assignation, as it is referred to under Maryland law, involves prostitution and related crimes, except that the accused is the individual seeking prostitution services rather than the individual who is performing the prostitution or related acts.
Md. Code, Crim. Law § 11-306 prohibits individuals from engaging in prostitution or assignation by any means, thus, the resulting criminal charge and penalties for the prostitute and the individual who solicits the prostitute are exactly the same.
More specifically, § 11-301 defines assignation as setting up an encounter with a prostitute or taking any other action in furtherance of setting up an encounter with a prostitute. As is the case with the criminal offense of prostitution, it is illegal to not only engage in solicitation by any means but also to:
- Set up, maintain, or operate a building, structure, or means of assignation
- Allow one’s building, structure, or means to be used for an assignation
- Allow or agree to allow individuals the usage of a place for an assignation
- Obtain or solicit or offer to obtain or solicit assignation
As a result of this statute, solicitation or assignation is a very broad crime under Maryland law. Even if no money changes hands and no sexual activity ever occurs, individuals still can be charged with assignation.
Potential Penalties for Solicitation in Wicomico
Like prostitution, assignation is a misdemeanor in the state of Maryland. The potential jail sentence for an assignation conviction cannot exceed one year and the fine cannot exceed $500.
Although the penalties for solicitation under Maryland law are not particularly harsh relatives to other types of crimes, particularly for a first-time offender, the collateral consequences for anyone convicted of assignation still can be extensive. Individuals’ personal relationships may be irreparably broken, employment may be terminated, and reputations in their community may be forever tarnished.
Given these repercussions, individuals should strongly reflect on the need to get legal advice from an experienced Wicomico solicitation attorney as soon as possible.
Assignation and Common Law Enforcement Tactics
Prostitution and assignation are criminal offenses that often arise out of police sting operations designed to “catch” individuals committing criminal offenses. More often, these schemes serve to entrap unknowing citizens into unwittingly committing criminal offenses.
Law enforcement officers may post advertisements in certain online forums and then utilize undercover officers to set up meetings with individuals who supposedly have engaged in assignation. Other law enforcement agencies will utilize confidential informants or undercover police officers who pose as prostitutes in order to coerce individuals into situations involving assignation.
Talk to a Wicomico Solicitation Attorney
When your relationships, job, and reputation is on the line, you should take all steps necessary to protect your rights and defend yourself against allegations of assignation. Do not risk the potential consequences that a solicitation conviction can bring.
Contact a Wicomico solicitation lawyer today and you may be able to educate yourself about the proof necessary for a Maryland solicitation conviction and your potential defenses to these charges.
