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Accosting A Minor

The state of Michigan has incredibly serious laws and harsh penalties for sex crimes involving children. That includes instances where the child is lured by an adult for an immoral purpose. In Michigan, accosting, soliciting, or enticing a minor for an immoral reason is a felony offense. If convicted, an individual could face years in prison and thousand-dollar fines.

Law enforcement officers tend to utilize “sting operations” when collecting evidence for child sex crimes. They may assign undercover officers to pose as children online and strike up conversations with suspected offenders. Often these conversations are just a way for some to let off steam and the person involved hardly ever intends to actually meet up with the minor. Despite this fact, the state of Michigan will still not hesitate to charge a person with accosting a minor if they have enough reasonable evidence to satisfy the elements of the crime.

Oakland County Lawyer for Accosting a Minor for Immoral Purposes

Accosting, soliciting, or enticing a minor online or in-person can lead to devastating consequences. You could be charged with a felony offense and face life-changing penalties including a prison sentence. If you’ve been accused of accosting a minor, call Dallo Law, P.C.. J. Dallo is a known tough defender of justice for his clients and will work tirelessly to protect your rights.

Call Dallo Law, P.C. today at (248) 283-7000 to set up your first consultation free of charge. Dallo Law, P.C. accepts clients throughout the greater Oakland County and Macomb County area including Sterling Heights, Bloomfield Hills, Birmingham, Rochester, Rochester Hills, Novi, and Clinton Township.

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What is Accosting for Immoral Purposes?

Soliciting or accosting a minor for an “immoral purpose” is considered illegal under Michigan law. The term “immoral purpose” is never outright defined in the statues, but it’s essentially any depraved sexual or gross indecent act that the accused desires to see for whatever reason. In Michigan, there are two statutes addressing soliciting or accosting a minor; one where the internet is involved and the other where the incident is in-person.

It’s important to understand that you don’t have to physically interact with the child to face charges. In fact, you could theoretically never see the minor you were speaking to online and still be charged with a sexual offense. That is because the prosecution only needs to satisfy the element that you had intentions to solicit, entice, or accost the minor for an immoral reason. All they need to prove is you had plans to accost the minor and were about to execute them.

Under the Michigan Penal Code Section 750.145a, it’s illegal to accost, entice, or solicit:

  • Any child under the age of 16, regardless of whether you know the person is a child or knows the actual age of the child
  • With the intent to induce or force the minor to commit an immoral act, submit to sexual intercourse, or an act of gross indecency, or any other depraved/delinquent act
  • Or encourages a child under the age of 16 to engage in any of the described acts.

If you solicited or accosted the minor using the internet or a computer system, then you’ll be charged under the Michigan Penal Code Section 750.145d. Under this section, it describes how use of the internet or a computer system to commit a crime is illegal and violation of this law will result in statutory penalties.

According to the statutes, a person shall not use the internet, computer system, computer network, or computer program to communicate with any person in an effort to commit, attempt to commit, conspire to commit, or solicit another person to commit conduct described under the following sections 145a, 145c, 157c, 349, 350, 520b, 520c, 520d, 520e, or 520g, or section 5 of 1978 PA 33, MCL 722.675. These sections basically state if the intended victim is a minor or believed by you the defendant to be a minor, then you’ll face criminal charges.


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Penalty for Accosting a Minor

Accosting, enticing, or soliciting a minor will result in life-altering penalties. If convicted, you’ll face a felony punishable by no more than 4 years in prison and a fine of up to $4,000. Since it’s a sex offense involving minors, you’ll also be required to register as a sex offender. You’ll be categorized as a Tier II offender, which means you’ll have to stay on the registry for 25 years. It also means you’ll be required to register with the local registering authority in your jurisdiction twice a year and failure to do so will result in criminal charges.

If you have a prior conviction under the same section, then your punishment will be enhanced.  You’ll instead face a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. The prosecutor must prove your prior conviction to the court with either a copy of the judgement, transcript of the prior trial, information contained in a pre-sentence report, or using the defendant’s own statement.


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Online Solicitation of a Minor Punishment

It’s illegal to use a computer or the internet to commit a crime, especially if the offense is to accost or solicit a minor. The penalties for online solicitation of a minor can be found under section 750.145d of the Michigan Penal Code. According to the code, if you’re convicted of soliciting a minor online, you’ll face the following penalties:

  • Up to 4 years in prison
  • A fine of up to $5,000

If you have a prior conviction, then you’ll instead face:

  • Up to 10 years in prison
  • A fine of up to $5,000

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Additional Resources

Michigan Statue for Accosting a Minor – Visit the official website for the Michigan Penal Code to learn more about their laws regarding accosting, soliciting, or enticing a minor. Access the site to learn the elements of the crime, penalties, and penalty enhancements.

Online Solicitation of a Minor — Visit the official website for the Michigan Penal Code to read about using the internet or computer to commit a crime. Access the site to learn the elements of the offense, penalties, and definitions to important terms.


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Online Solicitation of a Minor Lawyer, Bloomfield Hills | Michigan

Have you been accused of soliciting or accosting a minor? Whether online or in-person, our office at Dallo Law, P.C. are here to help. We have extensive experience handling sexually motivated crimes including sensitive cases involving children. Our team will never judge and instead treat each and every client with utmost respect and care. We understand how devastating these charges can be to you and your reputation, which is why we are here to be a guiding force during these trying times.

Call Dallo Law, P.C. today at (248) 283-7000 to set up your first consultation today. Dallo Law, P.C. is located in Bloomfield Hills, but we accept clients throughout the greater Oakland County and Macomb County, Michigan area.


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