Over 200 Years Combined Experience
Former Sex Crimes Prosecutors
Certified Criminal Trial Attorneys
Offices in Camden & Cherry Hill
Law enforcement in Camden County is active in targeting those they believe to be involved in luring. These efforts result in individuals being arrested for attempting to lure a child by the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office and local police departments like the one in Gloucester City. For those charged with this offense, extreme penalties lay in the balance. You will almost certainly be sent to state prison if you fail to defend this charge successfully. This is a prime reason why you should contact a lawyer at Jonathan F. Marshall. We are a team of ten criminal attorneys that make up one of the largest defense firms in New Jersey. It also helps that several of the members of our staff are former prosecutors. To learn what we can do to help you avoid a luring conviction and incarceration, contact our Camden Office or Cherry Hill Office at 856-6620-8300 for a free consultation.
Arrested for Luring in Cherry Hill
Individuals are arrested for luring in Cherry Hill despite its being one of the more affluent municipalities in Camden County. Whether you were charged in this town or another one in Camden County, there are several things you need to know. First and foremost, it is a second-degree crime to lure or entice a child into a car, truck or other vehicles, a structure, or an isolated area for the purpose to committing a criminal offense against the child. The second thing you should know is that any attempt to lure a child in this manner suffices in fulfilling the requirements of N.J.S.A. 2C:13-6. So long as you endeavored to entice the child with an intention to commit a crime, the offense has been committed. The specific elements that must be established, beyond reasonable doubt, by the prosecutor are that: (1) the accused attempted to lure or entice someone into a motor vehicle, structure, or isolated area; (2) the target was a child (e.g. someone under eighteen); and (3) the purpose of this conduct was to commit a criminal offense against the child.
A conviction for luring carries life-altering penalties. You are exposed to five to ten years in state prison and a maximum fine of $150,000. A second or subsequent conviction under 2C:13-6 (“Luring, enticing child by various means, attempts; crime of second degree; subsequent offense, mandatory imprisonment”) carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment that must be set at between one-third and one-half of the sentence imposed or three years, whichever is greater. A defendant is ineligible for parole until this minimum period of incarceration has elapsed. Individuals having a prior conviction for sexual assault, aggravated sexual assault, aggravated sexual contact or endangering the welfare of a child, who is found guilty of luring face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years. In other words, they cannot be considered for release from prison until at least five years has been served.
Luring by Electronic Means in Berlin
Another form of luring is set forth at N.J.S.A. 2C:13-7 (“Luring or enticing adult by electronic or any other means to commit a criminal offense with or against person lured or enticed or against any other person; crime of third degree; definition; merger of convictions; separate sentences”). This offense applies where an actor uses electronic means such as the internet to entice or lure a child into a place for the purpose of committing an offense against the child. Unlike the charge previously set forth, this form of violation is a third-degree crime and does not require that the defendant possess a purpose to commit a criminal offense against the child; an intention to commit a disorderly person offense suffices under 2C:13-7. The most well-publicized case in Camden County involving this charge was electronic or internet luring in Berlin. Third-degree electronic luring results in a prison term that can reach five years and a fine of up to $15,000.
Camden Luring Defense Lawyers
The Superior Court in Camden has jurisdiction to deal with all luring charges in this county. Whether you were just charged or have already been indicted for attempting to lure or entice a child, this is the courthouse where your case will be decided. Our lawyers have decades of experience representing individuals charged with offenses in this venue. The former prosecutors and highly knowledgeable attorneys at the firm have also defended many luring complaints in the past. We are ready to assist you immediately at 856-662-8300. The consultation is without obligation.
