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Facebook Messenger Sex Crimes Sting

Fort Collins Internet Luring of a Child Attorney
Facebook Messenger Sex Crimes Sting

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A man was arrested for Internet Luring of a Child after getting caught in a Facebook messenger sting operation. Read more about this story here.

Internet Luring of a Child is charged in Fort Collins and Larimer County when a person is accused of having a sexual conversation over the internet or data network with a child under the age of 15 and also invites the child to meet in person. A Fort Collins man was arrested and charged with this crime, along with Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child and Enticement of a Child after he was caught in a Facebook Messenger Sex Crimes Sting. According to the report, the man was communicating via Facebook Messenger with an undercover police officer, posing as a 13-year-old girl. He allegedly shared explicit photos and suggested meeting with the ‘girl’ for sex and drugs. When it was discovered that the man was a resident of Fort Collins, the case was handed over to the Fort Collins Police, who handled his arrest.

Larimer County Internet Luring of a Child Lawyer: Definition of Internet Luring over Facebook Messenger

The Larimer County, Colorado law definition of Internet Luring of a Child – C.R.S. 18-3-306 – is:

An actor commits internet luring of a child if the actor knowingly communicates over a computer or computer network, telephone network, or data network or by a text message or instant message to a person who the actor knows or believes to be under fifteen years of age and, in that communication or in any subsequent communication by computer, computer network, telephone network, data network, text message, or instant message, describes explicit sexual conduct as defined in section 18-6-403 (2)(e), and, in connection with that description, makes a statement persuading or inviting the person to meet the actor for any purpose, and the actor is more than four years older than the person or than the age the actor believes the person to be.

The following elements MUST be present in order to charge this crime:

  1. Communication occurs over the internet, phone, or data network;
  2. The actor is communicating with a child who is (or who is believed to be in a sting operation situation) under the age of fifteen;
  3. The communication is sexually explicit;
  4. The actor invites the ‘child’ to meet; and
  5. The actor is 4 or more years older than the ‘child.’

Sentence for Internet Luring of a Child in Loveland and Estes Park

In Fort Collins, Loveland, and Estes Park, Internet Luring of a Child is a class 5 felony, unless the purpose of the meeting is for engaging in sexual contact or sexual exploitation. That is considered aggravated and is charged as a class 4 felony.

If you or someone you love has been charged with Internet Luring of a Child, be smart, exercise your right to remain silent, and contact the best criminal defense attorneys from the O’Malley Law Office at 970-658-0007 to schedule your free initial consultation. Together, we can protect your future.

Photo by Oleg Magni from Pexels

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