3 Serious Sex Crimes in Maine

Sex crimes in Maine make up a quite broad and wide-ranging spectrum of offenses; possible penalties range from probation and community service to decades in prison. At the end of the spectrum reserved for the most severe sex crimes is gross sexual assault. Gross Sexual Assault, generally, is defined as any sex act by an individual on another individual who does not consent or is not capable of consenting.  Gross Sexual Assault is commonly referred to as “rape”. By itself, this crime carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. 

• Statutory Rape. The age of consent in Maine is 16, but there are certain close-in-age exemptions. These exemptions have everything to do with the age of the participants and whether or not the sexual acts were consensual. For example, sexual acts between a minor over the age of 14 and an adult less than five years older than the minor is not considered statutory rape.

Generally, though, sex acts between an adult and a minor is considered statutory rape. The most serious statutory rape cases will be elevated to gross sexual assault. Such cases include sexual acts by an adult at least 10 years older than a minor who is under the age of 14.

• Rape. Maine defines this crime as engaging in sexual intercourse with someone who has objected or is incapable of objecting to intercourse. There are several types of rape, including date rape, marital rape, incestual rape, and raping someone under threat of physical violence.  These are just some examples of Gross Sexual Assault, or, rape as most of us are familiar with that term.
• Child Pornography. Any possession, production, or distribution of sexual pictures or videos of minors is considered child pornography. The possible penalties for child pornography escalate if the child depicted is younger than 12, or where the person is accused of producing or actively distributing the sexual material.  Being convicted of one of these crimes means you will have to register on the sexual offender registry, which is a matter of public record.

Registering As a Sexual Offender

The biggest cause of collateral consequences from a conviction of sex crimes is having to register as a sex offender. This has to be updated whenever you change employment, residences, or attend school. Depending on which tier your sex offense falls in, you might have to register for 10 years, 25 years, or for life. 

Conclusion

Nothing can derail your future quite like a conviction for a sex crime; accusations are often enough to cause irreparable damage. This makes it important to confer with an experienced Maine criminal defense attorney as quickly as possible. To begin your defense with The Maine Criminal Defense Group, call our firm today at 207-571-8146.