Union County New Jersey Crimes Against Children Lawyer

Child molestation charges are extremely serious and must be handled with the utmost care. I have over 35 years of experience handling child molestation cases, and I have obtained many successful verdicts for my clients by using the right balance of aggressive litigation and sensitive negotiation. I believe that every client deserves a zealous representation and a fair judicial proceeding no matter what the charge, and I intend to give that to my clients. Contact me today, and let's talk about your case and any avenues of relief that may be available. You may be surprised to find out how many defenses are available to your child molestation charge. At Palumbo & Renaud, I won't judge you, but I will give you the representation you deserve.

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First Degree Child Molestation

In New Jersey, first degree child molestation is the same crime as aggravated sexual assault of a child. A conviction carries 10 to 20 years in prison. It can occur two general ways:

1. An adult commits an act of sexual penetration with a person who is under 13-years-old; OR
2. An adult commits an act of sexual penetration with a person who is 13 to 16-years-old; and one of the following situations exists: (1) The adult is related to the victim by blood or affinity to the third degree; (2) the adult has supervisory or disciplinary power over the victim based on his legal, professional, or occupational relationship with the victim; or (3) the adult is a resource family parent, a guardian, or stands in loco parentis within the household.

In New Jersey, second degree child molestation is the same crime as second degree sexual assault of a child. A conviction carries 5 to 10 years in prison. It can occur two general ways.

1. An adult commits sexual penetration with a child who is 13 to 16-years-old, and the actor is at least four years older than the victim; OR
2. The victim is 16 to 18-years-old and one of the following circumstances exist: (1) The adult is related to the victim by blood or affinity to the third degree; or (2) the adult has supervisory or disciplinary power of any nature or in any capacity over the victim; or (3) the adult is a resource family parent, a guardian, or stands in loco parentis within the household.

Child Sex Offender Registry

In addition to time spent in prison, a conviction of child molestation requires offenders to file notification of their presence with the police. If an offender fails to do this, it is a fourth degree crime which can put the individual back in prison for up to 18 months. There are different levels of notification. The more serious the crime, the greater amount of information the convicted individual is required to share with the community where he lives. Generally, the convicted must provide personal information such as:

• Name
• Fingerprints
• Social security number
• Birthday
• Sex
• Race
• Age
• Weight
• Eye and hair color
• Addresses of all residences and employment
• Facts about the crime committed

Child Molestation Defense Lawyer

Like any crime, people are sometimes wrongfully accused of child molestation, but you may be surprised to find out how common wrongful accusations are in these cases. Charges involving child molestation are easy to manipulate because the accusation alone can be as damaging as a conviction, and there is usually very little solid evidence in these cases.

Contact me today for a free initial consultation at 1-866-664-8118, and I will answer any questions over the phone or in person at your convenience. If you decide to retain my counsel, I will make sure that all possible avenues of defense and relief are exhausted on your behalf, and together we'll build a hard-line defense against your charge.