Los Angeles Internet Offenses Lawyers
Every aspect of our day to day lives has been impacted by the internet. It influences how we communicate, how we do our jobs, how we shop, how we gather information, and how we entertain ourselves. Most of today’s businesses have some kind of internet presence. Local governments use their websites to keep constituents aware of happenings in their communities.
As with any tool, the internet has the potential to be misused. Internet offenses are crimes that are committed by using the internet. Some of these might include downloading illegal materials, while others might involve using the internet to sell illegal products or scam people.
Fraud is one of the most common internet crimes. Depending on the offense, you might be charged at a state or federal level. Federal prosecution is most common when the crime is serious or when it involves parties in multiple states. There are multiple federal agencies dedicated to monitoring the potential criminal activity that takes place using the internet.
Internet crimes come in all shapes and sizes. Some have victims, while others don’t. Some of the most common types of fraud include identity theft, credit card fraud, and computer hacking. People might also engage in illegal cyberstalking behavior or download child pornography. No matter what the crime is, it counts as an internet offense if the internet was integral to accomplishing the crime.
The majority of internet crimes will be charged at the federal level. This means you’ll face more severe penalties than you would in a state court. You might have to pay restitution to the people who you defrauded along with serious court fines. Depending on the offense, it’s also possible that you’ll be put on probation or even do time in prison.
For this reason, it’s important that anyone charged with internet crimes contact a defense attorney right away. They can help you understand the situation and your rights. They will also mount the best defense possible given the evidence against you.
Seizure of Computers
During an internet crimes investigation, the government will typically take your computer and other networking devices as evidence. They may come into your home, office, or other place of work with a warrant. They’ll then confiscate your tablets, cell phone, computers, and any other items of interest. Once that’s done, they will ask you to tell them who owns the varying devices – whether it be you or another person in the house.
Once they know who owns the different devices, they can try to blame any criminal activity on that individual. This is true even in cases where someone might have borrowed their friend or family member’s computer to commit a crime. You’ll likely be left with an itemized list of all of the things that were seized.
Search warrants are usually executed when law enforcement officials feel they are close to making an arrest. If your computer is taken by law enforcement, you should talk to a lawyer right away, even if you haven’t committed any crimes to your knowledge. Your lawyer will sit down with you and examine the facts of the situation.
Forensic experts can look at your computer and recover any files you’ve deleted. In addition, there are experts who can work through encryption so that your files are no longer protected. If there is any software that prevents law enforcement officials from accessing your items, they can work through that too. But most people don’t actually have any systems in place to block access to their personal information.
As soon as the law enforcement officials find the evidence of criminal activity on the computer, they will make a move to arrest you.
Sex Tapes
Being accused of putting sex tapes online without someone’s consent is a serious offense. This is considered revenge porn. Even if the person consented to be filmed, they did not consent for that film to be distributed. If federal prosecutors can prove that you knowingly put the sex tape online, you can be prosecuted.
In the case of sex tapes, it’s rare for federal prosecutors to be involved. Usually a state government will use their own resources to handle it. There may be a specialized sex crimes unit that will help. In recent years, due to the increased tracking capabilities of the internet, there have been many more revenge porn charges than there used to be. Federal prosecutors can use your IP address and other identifying information to prove that you posted the tapes.
If you are sent a sex tape without the consent of the involved individuals, but you didn’t solicit it, then you shouldn’t be charged with a crime. But you will need to prove that you didn’t ask for the sex tape. The same is true in cases of child pornography.