Maryland Solicitation of Prostitution Defense Lawyer
Solicitation of prostitution is a serious crime in Maryland. It’s complicated too, since simply requesting the services of a prostitute without making any sexual contact can be a crime. If you have received a charge for solicitation of prostitution, you should get in touch with a Maryland solicitation of prostitution defense attorney as soon as possible to help you understand your charges, create a strong legal defense, negotiate your charges, and defend your rights throughout the legal process.
Contact the Maryland solicitation of prostitution defense lawyers from Rice, Murtha, & Psoras as soon as possible to learn more about how you can use our services to defend you against these charges. You can schedule a consultation to discuss the details of your case and your options as it moves forward, which is free and entirely confidential. Call Rice, Murtha, & Psoras today at (410) 431-0911.
Maryland’s Definition of Terms Related to Solicitation of Prostitution
To understand solicitation of prostitution charges and the charges related to it, it’s important to understand how the terms in the statutes are defined. Despite these definitions, determining what is and isn’t prostitution and solicitation of prostitution can often be nebulous and vague, which is why it’s important to use the assistance of an experienced solicitation of prostitution lawyer as your case moves forward.
Important terms in Maryland’s statutes concerning solicitation of prostitution include:
- Solicit – Soliciting, in the context of prostitution, means that another individual is commanded, requested, encouraged, induced, advised, or urged to do something
- Assignation – This term represents making an engagement or appointment to exchange sex for money
- Prostitution – According to Maryland’s State Code § 3-301, prostitution strictly means the performance of vaginal intercourse, sexual contact, or any other sexual act for hire
- Sexual act – These acts, according to Maryland State Code, include fellatio, cunnilingus, analingus, anal intercourse, or any other act that involves sexual penetration or that is designed for sexual arousal or penetration
- Sexually explicit performance – A sexually explicit performance is any private, public, videotaped, photographed, or live act that is produced with the intention of sexually arousing viewers and includes a subject that is partially or completely nude
Maryland Solicitation of Prostitution Offenses
In Maryland, solicitation of prostitution can be charged against either the sex worker who offers sex in exchange for money or a potential client of a sex worker who offers money in exchange for sex. The offer itself is a crime, even if there is no sexual activity. Solicitation of prostitution is often incorporated with other prostitution offenses. Maryland’s statutes regarding solicitation of prostitution are following.
Maryland’s Basic Prostitution and Solicitation of Prostitution Statutes
According to Maryland’s State Code § 11-306, which is the statute that dictates prostitution and related crimes, a person may not knowingly: engage in prostitution or assignation; operate a building or structure meant for prostitution or assignation; allow a building or structure that they own or have control over to be used for prostitution or assignation; allow or agree to allow someone into a building or structure for prostitution or assignation; procure or solicit prostitution or assignation or offer to procure or solicit prostitution or assignation.
This statute also includes penalties for prostitution and assignation. People who violate Maryland’s State Code § 11-306 will be found guilty of a misdemeanor and will be subject to imprisonment for less than one year, a fine of $500 or less, or both.
Receiving Earnings from Prostitution
Maryland State Code § 11-304 covers offenses related to receiving earnings for prostitution. According to this statute, it is illegal to acquire or receive money or proceeds from a person who is engaged in prostitution with the intent to promote a crime of prostitution or solicitation of prostitution, profit from a crime of prostitution or solicitation of prostitution, or to conceal or disguise the location, nature, source, control, or ownership of money or proceeds of a crime of prostitution or solicitation of prostitution. The statute includes the penalty for violating this code, which is a misdemeanor—it includes a fine of $10,000 and a prison sentence that lasts up to 10 years.
How a Lawyer Can Help You With Your Maryland Solicitation of Prostitution Charges
If you have been charged with solicitation of prostitution, seek the assistance of a lawyer who has experience with solicitation of prostitution cases as soon as possible. A lawyer will be indispensable to the outcome of your case in many ways.
Firstly, a lawyer can help you understand the charges against you and educate you on the meaning of court proceedings as they approach. They can also protect you from unfair or unjust prosecution, ensure that your rights are protected throughout the entire process, and prevent unwarranted contact with police. More importantly, a lawyer can work to get your charges reduced or even totally dropped. Attorneys know how to question any evidence presented against you, and can identify police entrapment. With solicitation of prostitution cases, attorneys can identify cases in which law enforcement sets people up or uses undercover police officers to lure potential clients into assignation.
Solicitation of Prostitution Defense Lawyer Available in Maryland
If you or someone close to you is facing solicitation of prostitution charges in Maryland, get in touch with the solicitation of prostitution defense lawyers from Rice, Murtha, & Psoras as soon as possible. The Maryland criminal defense lawyers who work with Rice, Murtha, & Psoras are able to protect you as you navigate court proceedings. Contact them at your earliest convenience by calling (410) 431-0911.