VIRGINIA SEX OFFENSE DEFENSE ATTORNEYS

DEFEND SEX CRIMES IN VIRGINIA

Welcome to the Virginia Sex Crimes Information Center, sponsored by SRIS, P.C. A Virginia law firm with offices in Fairfax, Lynchburg, Manassas, Richmond, Virginia Beach, Virginia, that concentrates on Virginia sex offenses. If you wish to consult a SRIS, P.C. sex offense attorney, please simply contact us via e-mail, phone, or by filling out our on-line form. A sex crimes lawyer of SRIS, P.C. will gladly consult with you regarding your matter.

To obtain a general overview of sex crime defense, please click here

To learn more about the laws pertaining to sex crime defense in Maryland or Massachusetts, please click on the state.

The following are some of the different offenses that Virginia categorizes as sex offenses:

• Fornication
• Lewd and lascivious cohabitation
• Crimes against nature; penalty
• Adultery defined; penalty
• Taking indecent liberties with children; penalties
• Indecent liberties by children; penalty
• Taking indecent liberties with child by person in custodial or supervisory relationship; penalties
• Causing or encouraging acts rendering children delinquent, abused, etc.; penalty; abandoned infant
• Production, publication, sale, possession, etc., of obscene items
• Production, publication, sale, possession with intent to distribute, financing, etc., of sexually explicit items involving children; presumption as to age; severability
• Possession of child pornography; penalty
• Use of communications systems to facilitate certain offenses involving children
• Enhanced penalties for using a computer in certain violations

VA Code § 18.2-344. Fornication (top)

Any person, not being married, who voluntarily shall have sexual intercourse with any other person, shall be guilty of fornication, punishable as a Class 4 misdemeanor.

VA Code § 18.2-345. Lewd and lascivious cohabitation (top)

If any persons, not married to each other, lewdly and lasciviously associate and cohabit together, or, whether married or not, be guilty of open and gross lewdness and lasciviousness, each of them shall be guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor; and upon a repetition of the offense, and conviction thereof, each of them shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

VA Code § 18.2-361. Crimes against nature; penalty (top)

A. If any person carnally knows in any manner any brute animal, or carnally knows any male or female person by the anus or by or with the mouth, or voluntarily submits to such carnal knowledge, he or she shall be guilty of a Class 6 felony, except as provided in subsection B.
B. Any person who performs or causes to be performed cunnilingus, fellatio, anilingus or anal intercourse upon or by his daughter or granddaughter, son or grandson, brother or sister, or father or mother is guilty of a Class 5 felony. However, if a parent or grandparent commits any such act with his child or grandchild and such child or grandchild is at least 13 but less than 18 years of age at the time of the offense, such parent or grandparent is guilty of a Class 3 felony.
C. For the purposes of this section, parent includes step-parent, grandparent includes step-grandparent, child includes step-child and grandchild includes step-grandchild.

VA Code § 18.2-365. Adultery defined; penalty (top)

Any person, being married, who voluntarily shall have sexual intercourse with any person not his or her spouse shall be guilty of adultery, punishable as a Class 4 misdemeanor.

VA Code § 18.2-370. Taking indecent liberties with children; penalties (top)

A. Any person 18 years of age or over, who, with lascivious intent, knowingly and intentionally commits any of the following acts with any child under the age of 15 years is guilty of a Class 5 felony:
(1) Expose his or her sexual or genital parts to any child to whom such person is not legally married or propose that any such child expose his or her sexual or genital parts to such person; or
(2) Repealed.
(3) Propose that any such child feel or fondle the sexual or genital parts of such person or propose that such person feel or fondle the sexual or genital parts of any such child; or
(4) Propose to such child the performance of an act of sexual intercourse or any act constituting an offense under§ 18.2-361; or
(5) Entice, allure, persuade, or invite any such child to enter any vehicle, room, house, or other place, for any of the purposes set forth in the preceding subdivisions of this section.
B. Any person 18 years of age or over who, with lascivious intent, knowingly and intentionally receives money, property, or any other remuneration for allowing, encouraging, or enticing any person under the age of 18 years to perform in or be a subject of sexually explicit visual material as defined in§ 18.2-374.1 or who knowingly encourages such person to perform in or be a subject of sexually explicit material; shall be guilty of a Class 5 felony.
C. Any person who is convicted of a second or subsequent violation of this section shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony; provided that (i) the offenses were not part of a common act, transaction or scheme; (ii) the accused was at liberty as defined in§ 53.1-151 between each conviction; and (iii) it is admitted, or found by the jury or judge before whom the person is tried, that the accused was previously convicted of a violation of this section.
D. Any parent, step-parent, grandparent or step-grandparent who commits a violation of either this section or clause (v) or (vi) of subsection A of § 18.2-370.1 (i) upon his child, step-child, grandchild or step-grandchild who is at least 15 but less than 18 years of age is guilty of a Class 5 felony or (ii) upon his child, step-child, grandchild or step-grandchild less than 15 years of age is guilty of a Class 4 felony.

VA Code § 18.2-370.01. Indecent liberties by children; penalty (top)

Any child over the age of thirteen years but under the age of eighteen who, with lascivious intent, knowingly and intentionally exposes his or her sexual or genital parts to any other child under the age of fourteen years who, measured by actual dates of birth, is five or more years the accused's junior, or proposes that any such child expose his or her sexual or genital parts to such person, shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

VA Code § 18.2-370.1. Taking indecent liberties with child by person in custodial or supervisory relationship; penalties (top)

A. Any person 18 years of age or older who, except as provided in§ 18.2- 370, maintains a custodial or supervisory relationship over a child under the age of 18 and is not legally married to such child and such child is not emancipated who, with lascivious intent, knowingly and intentionally (i) proposes that any such child feel or fondle the sexual or genital parts of such person or that such person feel or handle the sexual or genital parts of the child; or (ii) proposes to such child the performance of an act of sexual intercourse or any act constituting an offense under§ 18.2-361; or (iii) exposes his or her sexual or genital parts to such child; or (iv) proposes that any such child expose his or her sexual or genital parts to such person; or (v) proposes to the child that the child engage in sexual intercourse, sodomy or fondling of sexual or genital parts with another person; or (vi) sexually abuses the child as defined in§ 18.2-67.10 (6), shall be guilty of a Class 6 felony.
B. Any person who is convicted of a second or subsequent violation of this section shall be guilty of a Class 5 felony; provided that (i) the offenses were not part of a common act, transaction or scheme; (ii) the accused was at liberty as defined in§ 53.1-151 between each conviction; and (iii) it is admitted, or found by the jury or judge before whom the person is tried, that the accused was previously convicted of a violation of this section.

VA Code § 18.2-371. Causing or encouraging acts rendering children delinquent, abused, etc.; penalty; abandoned infant (top)

Any person 18 years of age or older, including the parent of any child, who (i) willfully contributes to, encourages, or causes any act, omission, or condition which renders a child delinquent, in need of services, in need of supervision, or abused or neglected as defined in§ 16.1-228, or (ii) engages in consensual sexual intercourse with a child 15 or older not his spouse, child, or grandchild, shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. This section shall not be construed as repealing, modifying, or in any way affecting§§ 18.2- 18,18.2-19,18.2-61,18.2-63,18.2-66, and 18.2-347.
If the prosecution under this section is based solely on the accused parent having left the child at a hospital or rescue squad, it shall be an affirmative defense to prosecution of a parent under this section that such parent safely delivered the child to a hospital that provides 24-hour emergency services or to an attended rescue squad that employs emergency medical technicians, within the first 14 days of the child's life.

VA Code § 18.2-374. Production, publication, sale, possession, etc., of obscene items (top)

It shall be unlawful for any person knowingly to:
(1) Prepare any obscene item for the purposes of sale or distribution; or
(2) Print, copy, manufacture, produce, or reproduce any obscene item for purposes of sale or distribution; or
(3) Publish, sell, rent, lend, transport in intrastate commerce, or distribute or exhibit any obscene item, or offer to do any of these things; or
(4) Have in his possession with intent to sell, rent, lend, transport, or distribute any obscene item. Possession in public or in a public place of any obscene item as defined in this article shall be deemed prima facie evidence of a violation of this section.
For the purposes of this section, "distribute" shall mean delivery in person, by mail, messenger or by any other means by which obscene items as defined in this article may pass from one person, firm or corporation to another.

VA Code § 18.2-374.1. Production, publication, sale, possession with intent to distribute, financing, etc., of sexually explicit items involving children; presumption as to age; severability (top)

A. For the purposes of this article and Article 4 (§ 18.2-362 et seq.) of this chapter, the term "sexually explicit visual material" means a picture, photograph, drawing, sculpture, motion picture film, digital image or similar visual representation which depicts sexual bestiality, a lewd exhibition of nudity, as nudity is defined in§ 18.2-390, or sexual excitement, sexual conduct or sadomasochistic abuse, as also defined in§ 18.2-390, or a book, magazine or pamphlet which contains such a visual representation. An undeveloped photograph or similar visual material may be sexually explicit material notwithstanding that processing or other acts may be required to make its sexually explicit content apparent.
B. A person shall be guilty of a Class 5 felony who:
1. Accosts, entices or solicits a person less than eighteen years of age with intent to induce or force such person to perform in or be a subject of sexually explicit visual material; or
2. Produces or makes or attempts or prepares to produce or make sexually explicit visual material which utilizes or has as a subject a person less than eighteen years of age; or
3. Who knowingly takes part in or participates in the filming, photographing or other reproduction of sexually explicit visual material by any means, including but not limited to computer-generated reproduction, which utilizes or has as a subject a person less than eighteen years of age; or
4. Sells, gives away, distributes, electronically transmits, displays with lascivious intent, purchases, or possesses with intent to sell, give away, distribute, transmit or display with lascivious intent sexually explicit visual material which utilizes or has as a subject a person less than eighteen years of age.
5. [Repealed.]
B1. [Repealed.]
C. A person shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony who knowingly finances or attempts or prepares to finance sexually explicit visual material which utilizes or has as a subject a person less than eighteen years of age.
D. For the purposes of this section a person who is depicted as or presents the appearance of being less than eighteen years of age in sexually explicit visual material is prima facie presumed to be less than eighteen years of age.
E. The provisions of this section shall be severable and, if any of its provisions shall be held unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction, then the decision of such court shall not affect or impair any of the remaining provisions.

VA Code § 18.2-374.1:1. Possession of child pornography; penalty (top)

A. Any person who knowingly possesses any sexually explicit visual material utilizing or having as a subject a person less than 18 years of age shall be guilty of a Class 6 felony. However, no prosecution for possession of material prohibited by this section shall lie where the prohibited material comes into the possession of the person charged from a law-enforcement officer or law-enforcement agency.
B. The provisions of this section shall not apply to any such material which is possessed for a bona fide artistic, medical, scientific, educational, religious, governmental, judicial or other proper purpose by a physician, psychologist, sociologist, scientist, teacher, person pursuing bona fide studies or research, librarian, clergyman, attorney, judge, or other person having a proper interest in the material.
C. All sexually explicit visual material which utilizes or has as a subject a person less than 18 years of age shall be subject to lawful seizure and forfeiture pursuant to§ 19.2-386.31.
D. Any person convicted of a second or subsequent offense under this section shall be guilty of a Class 5 felony.

VA Code § 18.2-374.3. Use of communications systems to facilitate certain offenses involving children (top)

A. It shall be unlawful for any person to use a communications system, including but not limited to computers or computer networks or bulletin boards, or any other electronic means for the purposes of procuring or promoting the use of a minor for any activity in violation of§ 18.2-370 or§ 18.2- 374.1. A violation of this subsection is a Class 6 felony.
B. It shall be unlawful for any person 18 years of age or older to use a communications system, including but not limited to computers or computer networks or bulletin boards, or any other electronic means, for the purposes of soliciting any person he knows or has reason to believe is a child less than 18 years of age for (i) any activity in violation of§ 18.2-355 or§ 18.2- 361, (ii) any activity in violation of§ 18.2-374.1, (iii) a violation of§ 18.2-374.1:1, or (iv) any activity in violation of subsection A of § 18.2-370. As used in this subsection, "use a communications system" means making personal contact or direct contact through any agent or agency, any print medium, the United States mail, any common carrier or communication common carrier, any electronic communications system, or any telecommunications, wire, computer, or radio communications system. A violation of this subsection is a Class 5 felony.

VA Code § 18.2-376.1. Enhanced penalties for using a computer in certain violations (top)

Any person who uses a computer in connection with a violation of§§ 18.2- 374,18.2-375, or§ 18.2-376 is guilty of a separate and distinct Class 1 misdemeanor, and for a second or subsequent such offense within 10 years of a prior such offense is guilty of a Class 6 felony, the penalties to be imposed in addition to any other punishment otherwise prescribed for a violation of any of those sections.

The Virginia sex crimes attorneys and Law Offices of SRIS, P.C., is located in Fairfax, Lynchburg, Manassas, Richmond, and Virginia Beach but our sphere of activity is statewide.

Our Virginia sex offense attorneys and staff speak various languages, including English, Tamil, Spanish, French, Arabic, Hindi, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Telugu.

For more information or to make an appointment with SRIS, P.C.Virginia sex crimes defense lawyer, please call, send an e-mail or complete the on-line form.

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