East St. Louis Sex Trafficking Lawyer

Sex Trafficking Attorney in East St. Louis, IL

Anyone charged with sex trafficking under federal or state law faces harsh consequences that could lead to multiple decades in prison, accompanied by large fines as well as permanent collateral consequences. Your rights and future protection rely on immediate assistance from an East St. Louis sex trafficking lawyer.

About The Law Office of Jessica Koester, LLC

The Law Office of Jessica Koester, LLC, serves clients facing sex trafficking charges throughout East St. Louis and other locations in the Metro-East area. Our proximity to the St. Clair County court system allows us to provide personal, responsive legal representation. An East St. Louis sex crime lawyer at our office can help you fight for your future.

Understanding Sex Trafficking

Sex trafficking describes the process where a person, whether adult or minor, is recruited, harbored, transported, provided, or obtained for commercial sexual acts through either force, fraud, or coercion, or when the person involved is under the age of consent. The legal system aggressively prosecutes cases involving these offenses under both federal statutes and Illinois legislation because they carry significant consequences.

Sex trafficking is investigated and prosecuted by federal authorities, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, when there are elements of interstate or foreign commerce, coercion, or victimization of minors.

Sex Trafficking Laws

Illinois law defines human trafficking, along with sex trafficking, as an offense under 720 ILCS 5/10-9. Under this law, it is prohibited to intentionally recruit or transport or harbor and provide for a person to engage in commercial sexual activity or sexual exploitation through force or coercion or fraud, and when the victim is underage.

The most commonly used federal law is 18 U.S.C. § 1591, which makes it illegal to engage in the sex trafficking of both children and adults through force, fraud, or coercion by recruiting them for commercial sex acts. The U.S. Sentencing Commission received 57,287 sex trafficking case reports in the fiscal year 2021. A total of 93.6% of the offenders in these cases were male, while sexual abuse was part of 1,062 offenses.

What to Do if Charged

If you have been charged with sex trafficking, do not discuss your case with anyone other than your attorney, and do not agree to searches, interviews, or statements without your lawyer present. Take steps to preserve any evidence that may be useful in your defense, such as text messages, travel records, or financial records.

Fully comply with the terms of your bond and do not contact the alleged victim or anyone else involved in the alleged crime. Sex trafficking cases frequently involve federal agencies and law enforcement techniques that are aggressive and sophisticated, so promptly hire a sex trafficking lawyer who can take immediate action to challenge government evidence and start developing an effective, fact-based defense.

Hire a Sex Trafficking Lawyer

Being charged with sex trafficking is a serious offense. When you hire a sex trafficking lawyer, they can help you fight for your future by building you an appropriate defense and ensuring that your rights are upheld.

An East St. Louis sex trafficking attorney at The Law Office of Jessica Koester, LLC can challenge the evidence against you and be on your side every step of the way. If you or someone you know has been charged with sex trafficking, contact us right away for a free consultation.