I once heard some guys joking around saying “old enough to pee, good enough for me,” of course they were at the bar checking out some young girls who I hoped were over 18. I’m not a boy, but if I were, I would probably (1) remember my dad teaching me to play catch, and (2) imagine my father having a serious sit down with me when I reach my teen years and my hormones are out of control and telling me “son, if she’s not over 18, don’t do it!” For those of us who lived under a rock or was never told this: you are being told now, if you have sex with a minor (I don’t care if she consented), you are committing a crime.
“But she came onto me first!” Not a defense.
“But she looked over 18!” A defense, but that means you’re going to a jury trial in order to see if that defense will even work. 12 reasonable minded people will have to look at the facts and also get to look at the girl and decide your fate. Do you really want to take that risk?
Statutory rape can be charged as both a misdemeanor or a felony. This means you are looking at anywhere from 0-365 days in jail if convicted of a misdemeanor and 16 months – 3 years if you are convicted of a felony. The bigger the age gap, the more likely you’ll be looking at a felony. There is also a potential to register as a sex offender.
Oh, and please don’t think that you can try to “beat the system” by having oral sex. That will just land you in the land of felonies, registration as a sex offender, and in prison. Just wait till he/she is over 18.
If you or someone you know has been accused of a sex crime, Call the Law Offices of Lisa Wong today to see how we can help.
858-609-9664
