Sex Crimes
Georgia sex crimes include allegations ranging from rape to sexual battery, and aggravated child molestation to sexual exploitation of children. The punishment varies greatly, but is almost always gravely serious. Many sex crimes, including child molestation offenses, carry lengthy mandatory minimum sentence for people convicted of those offenses.
Most sex crimes cases are won or lost in pretrial preparation. Our firm has persuaded prosecutors to dismiss serious sex crime allegations before trial, and sometimes even before an arrest. We have also won several sex crime cases at trial. We believe we won those trials because we have a system that focuses on the early evaluation of evidence and the credibility of the allegations. Our firm has relationships with the best investigators and forensic experts in the state who review the case and work with us to develop a strategy that will disprove false allegations and save our clients from a sex crime conviction.
Below are some of our notes on recent cases and trends in Georgia sex crimes investigations, trials and appeals.
Nearly 100 Arrest Warrants for Child Porn Issued in Georgia
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation in Atlanta has announced that 98 arrest warrants have been issued for individuals across Georgia for the online distribution of child pornography. The arrest warrants are the product of a three month investigation involving numerous local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. The investigation was spearheaded by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, an initiative established by the GBI in 2002. The investigation, named Operation Guarding Innocent, is thought to be the largest such operation ...
Georgia Appeals Court Overturns Convictions from Online Child Prostitution Sting
In a recent decision, the Georgia Court of Appeals overturned the convictions of a Georgia man who was caught up in an online child prostitution sting operation. The case is an important one both because it forces Georgia trial courts to be careful where the criminal statute doesn’t fit the crime charged, and because it makes clear that in certain circumstances, a defendant can argue both that he didn’t commit a crime, and that he was entrapped. In State v. ...
New Georgia Law Requires More People to Report Suspected Child Abuse
A month ago, new rules went into effect in Georgia expanding the categories of individuals who are required to reported suspected child abuse or face criminal liability. The new law was largely a reaction to the Jerry Sandusky sex crime scandal involving Penn State University. Although all Georgians are encouraged to contact law enforcement if they have reason to believe that a child has been abused, the new law identifies professionals and volunteer workers in a wide variety of settings and ...
Page Pate Comments on Petitions for Removal from Georgia’s Sex Offender Registry Under New Law
In the sixteen months since Georgia’s new sex offender law went into effect, certain convicted sex offenders have been able to take advantage of new opportunities to be removed from the state’s sex offender registry. Before it passed the new legislation in 2010, Georgia was notorious for having some of the most severe sex offender laws in the country. In the wake of successful lawsuits brought against the state by civil rights advocacy groups, Georgia was forced to change numerous ...
