Posted on March 31,2022 in Criminal Defense

Any kind of sexual activity with minors is treated harshly by Texas law. Even when alleged perpetrators of sex crimes with minors never actually met a minor for sexual activity, if they are charged with soliciting a minor they can face serious consequences. Soliciting a minor often comes with additional charges; in Texas, soliciting prostitution with a consenting adult is a felony, even for the first offense. If you have been charged with soliciting a minor, get help from a Texas criminal defense lawyer right away. 

Internet Stings

Charges for soliciting a minor often result from internet “sting” operations in which a law enforcement professional pretends to be a minor. When someone above the legal age of consent in Texas (17 years old) tries to use the internet simply to communicate in a sexually explicit way with a minor, it is a third-degree felony. This includes sending photos, emails, and even text messages. When the minor involved is under 14 years old, the charges can be upgraded to a second-degree felony. 

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 Posted on March 27,2022 in Criminal Defense

Texas high school, middle school, and elementary school teachers are in a position of significant power and influence over their students. Teachers sometimes spend more time with children than children spend with their parents and the relationship between teachers and students can provide much-needed structure and authority that helps children in tough situations thrive. 

However, when these relationships are not kept strictly platonic, teachers can run into serious trouble. Public and private school teachers are not permitted to have sexual relationships with students, even if the relationship is consensual. Texas law specifically mentions and prohibits these relationships and addresses not only teachers, but also counselors, administrators, and any other school employee. If you are a teacher who has been accused of an improper relationship with one of your students, read on. 

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 Posted on March 17,2022 in Criminal Defense

When mentally competent adults commit crimes in Texas, they are charged and tried as adults with the expectation that they understood the implications of their behavior when they committed the crime. But juvenile crimes are treated differently, in large part because a minor’s brain is still developing and the connection between an action and its consequence may not be clear. 

So, when an adult allows, helps, or encourages a juvenile to break the law, Texas takes this very seriously. The adult can be charged not only with breaking the law, but with “contributing to the delinquency of a minor.” According to Texas law, a person can be held responsible for an offense when the offense was committed by another person if they are criminally responsible for helping that person commit the offense. If you have been charged with contributing to juvenile delinquency, the consequences could be serious and it is important to have a competent criminal defense team on your side. 

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 Posted on March 11,2022 in Criminal Defense

Human trafficking has gained significant public notoriety in recent years with high-profile campaigns meant to bring awareness and eradication of this issue. While human trafficking does exist, there are legitimate questions as to whether its prevalence has been somewhat exaggerated, leading to an overzealous law enforcement response that often rushes to judgment without sufficient evidence. This is especially true if the allegations of human trafficking involve child victims. If you have been charged with child trafficking, it is important to take these charges seriously and understand the potential consequences of conviction. 

What is Child Trafficking? 

Any person who intentionally entices, recruits, transports, harbors, or restricts the movement of someone to force them to provide work or services, including sexual acts, may be guilty of human trafficking. If the alleged victim is a minor, the behavior is considered child trafficking and the penalties are more serious. Child trafficking often involves illegal sexual acts between adults and children, including prostitution, child pornography, sexual abuse, and indecency with a child. Even if a person engaged in sexual conduct with someone who they did not know was a trafficked minor, they may be charged with child trafficking. 

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 Posted on February 25,2022 in Criminal Defense

Nearly every schoolchild has, at some point, technically committed forgery. Signing a parent’s signature on a report card, permission slip, or other release form is a common mistake and children who are caught have a valuable learning experience without serious consequences. But when an adult in Texas commits the crime of forgery, the penalties can be serious and the offender risks damaging his or her criminal record, personal freedom, and reputation. To learn more about what constitutes criminal forgery in Texas and what the penalties are, read on. 

What is Forgery? 

Forgery is a “white-collar crime,” so called because it is a nonviolent, financially motivated law-breaking activity. When someone deceptively signs someone else’s name, changes information, or gives false information in writing with the intent to defraud or harm others for his or her own benefit, this is considered criminal forgery. Texas law requires one of three things to be present for writing to rise to the level of forgery: 

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 Posted on February 21,2022 in Federal Crimes

When we think of money laundering in Texas, we might think of relatively small-scale enterprises like car washes, nail salons, and laundromats that offer customers the opportunity to pay in cash and allow the owners to hide ill-gotten money. But in the age of cryptocurrency, money laundering does not follow traditional means of obfuscation.  

Just a few days ago, an American couple made the news when they were arrested for stealing more than 3.6 billion dollars’ worth of cryptocurrency. Charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to defraud the United States, this couple’s situation sheds light on how technology can complicate areas of criminal law that are still being developed. 

Is Money Laundering a State or Federal Crime? 

Even if the crime of money laundering is committed exclusively in the state of Texas, a person may be charged with federal money laundering crimes if they use or try to use money they know was illegally obtained. Certain types of crimes can also bring federal money laundering charges, such as: 

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 Posted on February 15,2022 in Criminal Defense

Nobody is perfect. We all make mistakes from time to time, and while some of these mistakes are more serious than others, a poor choice in your past should not prevent you from making better choices in the future. Sometimes, however, a criminal record can keep you from moving forward and getting better opportunities. Getting a great job, applying for a professional license, and even getting approved to live in the apartment community of your choice can all be hampered by a criminal record. If you are wondering whether you may be able to clear your name of past wrongdoing in Texas with the help of an experienced criminal defense attorney, read on. 

Understanding Expunction

Texas distinguishes between two ways of clearing your record and the process you need will depend on your situation. The first way is via expunction. You may be able to have your criminal record expunged of misdemeanor and felony charges if you meet one of the following circumstances: 

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 Posted on February 07,2022 in Criminal Defense

Individuals in Texas cannot consent to sexual conduct until they reach 17 years of age. In the strict legal sense, anyone younger than that cannot consent to sexual activity with an adult. You may not realize it, but you can be charged with sexual assault against a child if you are an adult who engages in sexual conduct with someone age 16 or younger even if you think that person “consents” to such conduct. In this blog, we will explore the concept of legal consent and how it applies to relationships between two people of close age when one person is below the age of consent. 

What is Legal Consent? 

Everybody knows that rape is wrong. It is against the law. But each state has a law saying that, under a certain age, a young person is not old enough to legally consent to sex even if they want to. In Texas, that age is 17. Texas does not recognize the term “statutory rape,” which is frequently used to describe sex between an adult and a minor who is near the age of consent. Instead, sexual conduct with or without the permission of a child under age 17 is sexual assault of a child. 

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 Posted on January 27,2022 in Criminal Defense

Nearly every week, we publish blogs covering a variety of topics related to criminal defense. Our goal is to provide readers with helpful information about the types of charges people may face, including in state and federal courts, as well as the potential defense strategies that may be available. Our firm works to protect the rights of defendants and help them resolve criminal cases successfully. We wanted to highlight the most-read blogs from 2021, and we plan to continue covering similar topics in the months and years to come.

1. Can a Parent Face Charges for Leaving a Child Home Alone in Texas? - We look at how Texas law addresses these situations and when parents may be accused of child neglect or charged with offenses such as child abandonment or child endangerment.

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 Posted on January 21,2022 in Federal Crimes

Gun violence is an ongoing issue in the United States. In many cases, the firearms used in crimes are purchased or acquired in states other than where crimes involving these guns occur. Since Texas is a state that has been identified as a common source of firearms used in other states, dealers or private gun sellers in Texas will need to be aware of possible violations of the law that could result in federal criminal charges.

Federal Crimes Involving the Sale or Transfer of Firearms

Firearms trafficking will typically involve gun diversion in which firearms that are legally purchased are transferred into the possession of people who are not legally allowed to possess firearms or who go on to use these guns when committing a criminal offense. Straw purchasing, in which one person purchases a firearm on behalf of someone else, is one of the most common methods of gun diversion. Guns may also be diverted into illegal markets through private sales by firearm owners or thefts from firearm dealers or sellers.

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