Patronizing A Prostitute

If you were arrested for partronizing a prostitute in Westchester or New York City,  our experienced criminal defense lawyers have extensive experience in getting these charges resolved without jail time, probation or a criminal record. When someone is arrested for patronizing a prostitute, the arrest can be traumatizing and we know that you are agonizing over fears that you will lose your job, that your family will find out and that you will be publicly humiliated. However, that doesn't have to be the case. Our Manhattan criminal defense lawyers and our Westchester criminal defense attorneys have extensive experience in getting charges reduced to non-criminal offenses, which are sealed from public record. Whether you were caught in a sting, or were in a massage parlor that was raided or your name popped up on one of New York City's escort services, our attorneys have the experience to guide you through this process and get you through it, with the least collateral damage possible to your life.

OUR HIGHLY EXPERIENCED CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEYS

ARE ON YOUR SIDE

Throughout our attorney's career, they have represented professionals charged with vice crimes like drugs and prostitution. We will not judge you. Our attorneys are on your side and our only goal is to get you through this process. 

Our NYC Criminal Defense Attorneys and White Plains criminal defense lawyers are handling an increasing number of patronizing prostitution cases in Westchester and Rockland Counties. With more of these cases originating from website ads such Craigslist, Eros and Backpage among others, there are now chats that show in writing exactly what was said. Fortunately, unless you were intentionally trying to meet someone under the age of 18, prosecutors view these cases generally as something they want to use to educate about the dangers of being with a prostitute to try and keep people from going to prostitutes, rather than trying to punish with incarceration. 

WHAT IS PATRONIZING A PROSTITUTE 

One of the most common questions our NYC criminal defense attorneys and our Westchester criminal defense lawyers hear is “what is patronizing a prostitute”, “is it a crime to patronize a prostitute” and “Am I going to jail for patronizing a prostitute”?

Under New York’s law a person patronizes a prostitute when the either have an understanding and one person pays a fee as compensation for sexual conduct or they pay or agrees to pay a fee for sexual conduct or they solicits or requests another person to engage in sexual conduct for a fee.

There are also several degree of patronizing a prostitute, which have varying degrees of severity. The most commonly charged section is New York Penal Law 230.04, which is Patronizing a prostitute in the third degree. This prohibits simply patronizing a prostitute and is a class A misdemeanor. New York Penal Law 230.05 which is called Patronizing a prostitute in the second degree is a Class E Felony. Patronizing a prostitute in the second degree occurs when the person who is patronizing the prostitute is over eighteen years of age and he patronizes a prostitute who is less than fourteen years of age. If the person patronized is less than eleven years of age, New York Penal Law 230.06, which is called Patronizing a prostitute in the first degree applies and is a class D felony. It is however, an affirmative defense to patronizing a prostitute in the first or second degrees, that the defendant did not have reasonable grounds to believe that the person was less than the age specified. This can mean the difference between a felony charge and a misdemeanor charge.