19-Year-Old Avoids Decades in Prison for Multiple Sex Crimes

The need to protect young people cannot be overstated, but the laws meant to shelter young people in Pennsylvania are complicated and can have very real and harsh consequences. If you are caught up in a situation where criminal sexual accusations are made against you, it is critical that you discuss the matter with a skilled Pennsylvania sex crimes attorney.

Recently, a 19-year-old man met a young woman and the pair began dating. After the relationship ended, it became clear that despite telling him otherwise, the female was under the legal age of consent in Pennsylvania, which is 16. The girl’s mother reported the relationship to the police and he suddenly found himself charged with several very serious felony level sexual assault offenses and quickly learned that if convicted, he’d face some devastating ramifications like 20 to 40 years in prison and being required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. To protect his freedom and in turn his future, the young man came to Worgul, Sarna & Ness, Criminal Defense Attorneys.

As an experienced Pittsburgh criminal defense lawyer, Matthew Ness knows the impact a sex crimes conviction can have and fought hard to protect his client. This led to exhaustive negotiations with the prosecutor and due to his commitment to finding the best possible result, his client agreed to plead to a single charge that would not include any jail time and a reduced period of sex offender registration. Instead, he would serve six months of house arrest and five years of probation. Essentially by avoiding the life-long registration as a sex offender, he’ll be able to eventually move on without such a grievous stigma.

The outcome of an individual case depends on a variety of factors unique to that case. Case results do not guarantee or predict a similar result in any similar or future case.