Internet luring enforcement activities are on the rise

Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, chat rooms, and dozens of other social media applications have made it easier than ever before to contact just about anyone in the world with an online presence.

While we’re more connected than ever before, sometimes the Internet can be used for potentially illicit activities as well. It is becoming more and more common for some individuals to use online means as a way to commit acts of child enticement, which is defined as reaching out to minors for the purpose of luring them into sexual activities.

As this type of crime has become more commonplace, so too has law enforcement engagement in an attempt to stem this tide. Child enticement is a broad umbrella term that incorporates many types of criminal activities including soliciting children into pornography, sexual abuse, pandering and prostitution.

Internet luring is one of the more common accusations leveled at defendants. Specifically, luring takes place when a person attempts to meet a child over the Internet or by phone, describing explicit sexual conduct, when the child is at least four years younger than the defendant, and when the defendant believes that the child is less than 15 years old.

Internet luring is considered a felony, and so it is vital, if you are charged with this type of crime, that you mount a fast and aggressive Internet luring defense.

There are several possible ways to defend against this charge, with the most common being that a person has misrepresented themselves online, allowing a defendant to believe they were in contact with someone who was of legal age. Other times, a defense attorney will question if there was sufficient probable cause, whether a warrant was executed properly and will scrutinize the manner in which all due processes were observed. How forensic computer records are gathered is also another prime consideration that will be examined closely.

Decker & Jones serves clients in Denver, Golden and communities throughout Jefferson County, Colorado.