Prostitution Or Sexual Conduct For A Fee
Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 272, Section 53A, criminalizes the act of prostitution; in other words, the conduct of engaging, agreeing to engage, or offering to engage in sexual conduct for a fee.
The penalty for the crime of sexual conduct for a fee is imprisonment in jail or House of Corrections for up to one year, and a fine of up to $500. A conviction also requires the offender to submit a DNA sample to the Massachusetts DNA Database.
In order to be convicted of the crime of sexual conduct for a fee, the prosecutor is required to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt:
- That the defendant either engaged, or agreed to engage, or offered to engage in sexual conduct with another person
- That the sexual conduct was to be done in return for a fee
By definition, someone can only be convicted of prostitution or sexual conduct for a fee if the sexual conduct was in exchange for a fee – in other words, that the transaction was of a commercial nature.
The legal definition of sexual conduct in Massachusetts includes intercourse, oral sex and any intrusion of a part of someone’s body or some other object into the genital or anal area of another person’s body.
Boston criminal defense lawyer Lefteris K. Travayiakis is available 24/7 for consultation and has extensive experience in defending persons charged with sex crimes, including criminal harassment, deriving support from a prostitute, dissemination of obscene material, and rape.
To schedule a free consultation and to discuss your criminal case with a Boston sex crimes lawyer, contact the firm online or call 617-657-2333.