Mohegan Sun Casino Sexting Lawyer
The Mohegan Tribal Police work very closely with Connecticut law enforcement authorities to prosecute anyone who violates the Connecticut Penal Code while on the grounds of the Mohegan Sun Casino, including offenses involving child pornography. If your child has been accused of “sexting” with another minor while on tribal land, you should prioritize contacting an attorney with experience handling these allegations at the Mohegan Sun Casino so they can help your family get through this situation as quickly and proactively as possible.
How State Law Addresses Sexting Between Minors
While adults are not prohibited under the Connecticut Penal Code from consensually exchanging sexually explicit images of themselves with other consenting adults, Connecticut General Statutes (C.G.S.) § 53a-196h makes both sides of such an exchange—both sending and receiving—illegal for minors. More specifically, this statute prohibits minors under 16 from knowingly and voluntarily sending a sexually explicit photo or video of themselves through any form of electronic communication to another minor under the age of 18 and likewise prohibits minors under 18 from knowingly possessing such an image received through such communication from any depicted minor under 16.
This offense is technically categorized as a Class A misdemeanor, which means that an adult prosecuted under this statute could theoretically face maximum sanctions upon conviction of one year in jail plus $2,000 in fines. However, since only minors can be charged under this statute in the first place, sexting allegations of this nature are almost always in juvenile court as opposed to adult criminal court, which means the only sanctions on the table following an “adjudication of guilt” would be much less severe options such as a formal warning, community service, probation, smaller fines, and, at worst, 18 months of confinement in juvenile detention.
That said, having a juvenile criminal record can still have a significant impact on what schools a young person can get into and what job prospects they might have in the future. With that in mind, it can still be important to actively contest this sort of charge with help from a knowledgeable Mohegan Sun Casino sexting attorney.
What About Sexting Between a Minor and an Adult?
If a minor in Connecticut were to be prosecuted as an adult for a sexting offense as defined under C.G.S. §53a-196h, they would still only face penalties commensurate with a Class A misdemeanor at most, as mentioned above. The same cannot be said, though, for someone over the age of 18 who “sexts” with someone under the age of 16, as a sexting defense lawyer experienced with cases involving Mohegan Sun Casino can further explain.
An adult who participates in such an exchange may face felony-level charges for Possession of Child Pornography and other charges related to exposing a minor to explicit material, all of which carry penalties of years in prison as well as thousands of dollars in fines. In this scenario and all others involving sexual activity with minors, it does not matter whether the minor involved in the exchange did so voluntarily—in Connecticut, no child can ever consent to any kind of sexual interaction with an adult, regardless of the context.
Seek Help From a Mohegan Sun Casino Sexting Attorney
While it is not prosecuted as harshly as Possession of Child Pornography by adults, sexting between teenagers is still taken extremely seriously in Connecticut and, accordingly, by tribal police serving the Mohegan Sun Casino. If your family is dealing with charges like this stemming from a casino visit, assistance from a seasoned Mohegan Sun Casino sexting lawyer can significantly affect the outcome of your case and how dramatically it impacts your child’s future. Call the Law Offices of Mark Sherman today to schedule a confidential consultation, and visit our Avvo profile to learn what our past clients have said about working with us.