Encouraging someone under the age of 15 to expose their intimate parts over the internet is charged as Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child in Denver, Castle Rock, and Aurora. A father was recently criminally charged after it was discovered he had requested and received more than 25 videos from young girls via the app ooVoo. According to the report, the father pretended to be a 13-year-old and would message the girls specifically requesting sexually explicit videos. He also received over 1,700 images of the girls. If this had occurred in Colorado, the man would likely be facing charges of Internet Sex Exploitation of a Child along with Possession of Child Pornography (Sexual Exploitation of a Child) charges.

Arapahoe County Internet Sex Exploitation of a Child Attorney: Definition of Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child in Douglas County

The Arapahoe and Douglas County, Colorado law definition of Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child – C.R.S. 18-3-405.4 – is:

(1) An actor commits internet sexual exploitation of a child if the actor knowingly importunes, invites, or entices through communication via a computer network or system, telephone network, or data network or by a text message or instant message, a person whom the actor knows or believes to be under fifteen years of age and at least four years younger than the actor, to:

(a) Expose or touch the person's own or another person's intimate parts while communicating with the actor via a computer network or system, telephone network, or data network or by a text message or instant message; or

(b) Observe the actor's intimate parts via a computer network or system, telephone network, or data network or by a text message or instant message.

Often, this statute is applied to live video instances – like video chatting, facetiming, or using some other live time app. When a sexually explicit picture is taken or video is made and then sent to someone, it becomes child pornography, which is charged under Sexual Exploitation of a Child.

Sentence for Internet Sex Exploitation of a Minor in Adams and Jefferson County

As a class 4 felony in Jefferson and Adams County, Internet Sex Exploitation of a Child is punishable by an indeterminate sentence to the Colorado Department of Corrections. This means a person charged with this crime faces a minimum of 2 years in prison up to the maximum of their natural life.

If you or someone you love has been charged with a crime, be smart, exercise your right to remain silent, and contact the O'Malley Law Office at 303-830-0880. Together, we can protect your future.

Image Source: Pixabay-Pexels