Your Los Angeles Sex Crime Case Is Complex. But Everyone’s Already Painted You as the “Bad Guy” (Or “Bad Girl”)

Los Angeles sex crime defendants often find themselves isolated, even from close family and friends, because of the salacious nature of the allegations.

Whether you stand accused of sending an untoward, sexually-provocative email to a high school student; or whether the police arrested you for soliciting an undercover officer at a bathroom, you’re genuinely scared for your future. Plus, you’re facing a real empathy deficit in your life right now.

It’s not that people close to you have abandoned you, necessarily. But sex crimes in Los Angeles (or anywhere) really touch a nerve with many people, and for good reason.

When you read the more salacious headlines in the news — such as the story that we recently covered about a Southland teacher who allegedly committed horrific acts including, disgustingly, getting kids to consume his semen on crackers — you can understand why people feel so strongly.

No doubt, you probably ALSO feel judgmental about most serious sex crime cases.

But your case is different, and you wish everyone else could see that. Perhaps you did do something wrong. But you regret what happened, and you certainly don’t belong in the same category as some of the monsters that you’ve read about.

The reality is that there is an enormously diverse spectrum of defendants in these types of cases. Consider actor Fred Willard’s arrest at the Hollywood’s Tiki Theater (which we covered in a series of posts recently), which nicely illustrates the “lesser evil” side of the spectrum.

But to most people, “a sex crime is a sex crime is a sex crime.” And that includes probably most of your friends and family members.

You want people to understand that the situation is more complex than what the “headlines” reveal — and to recognize that, while you’re a flawed person, you’re ultimately a good hearted person who wants to help other people and contribute in a positive way to society.

Your journey needs to start with clarity with respect to the legal “facts on the ground.” What are your exact charges? What can you do, immediately, to start to come to terms with them, prepare a defense, and get moving with executing that strategy?

Ex-prosecutor (former Senior Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles, in fact) Michael Kraut and his team are standing by to help you unpack your Los Angeles sex crime charges.