Attorney Brad Koffel has over 30 years of experience representing people charged with unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. His background brings steady guidance and practical insight to clients who often face this kind of accusation for the first time.
Your Columbus unlawful sexual conduct with a minor lawyer with Koffel | Brininger | Nesbitt will take the time to explain what is happening and what your options are. Your Columbus sex crimes lawyer can help you feel more grounded and less overwhelmed as you take your next steps. You will feel better as soon as you talk to us.
Age Gaps, Consent, and Criminal Charges in Ohio
It can be hard to make sense of how something that felt mutual at the time turned into a criminal charge. If you are confused about where the line is drawn, you are not the only one.
These cases often come down to age differences and assumptions that seemed harmless but now carry real consequences. A Columbus criminal defense lawyer can help explain how these factors affect your case
How Age Differences Affect Charges Under Ohio Law
Charges often depend on how close in age the people involved were. If the difference is less than four years, the offense may be treated as a misdemeanor instead of a felony.
A wider age gap usually leads to more serious consequences. Even if everything felt respectful and consensual at the time, how old each person was can change how the situation is handled.
When the Court Considers Someone “Reckless”
Someone can be charged with acting recklessly if they are accused of ignoring obvious warning signs or not making an effort to ask the right questions. This often comes up in cases where one person is unsure of the other’s age or makes an assumption based on appearance, behavior, or what was said in conversation.
Even if the younger person lied about how old they were, that is not a valid defense in court. You are still expected to be certain before anything sexual occurs, and the court will often ask what steps, if any, you took to verify their age. That judgment can feel harsh, but it is one of the most important parts of how these cases are decided.
For a free legal consultation with a unlawful sexual misconduct lawyer serving Columbus, call (614) 884-1100
Unlawful Sexual Conduct With a Minor Laws in Ohio
Unlawful sexual conduct with a minor is a charge that applies when someone age 18 or older has sexual conduct with someone who is 13 to 15 years old and not their spouse. The person accused does not have to use force or threats. However, under Ohio Revised Code § 2907.04, the older person can still be charged if they knew or were reckless about the younger person’s age.
“Sexual conduct” refers to intercourse or other direct sexual acts, while “sexual contact” covers touching or fondling for sexual purposes. These may sound similar, but the terms are treated differently in court and can carry different penalties. Your Columbus unlawful sexual conduct with a minor attorney from Koffel | Brininger | Nesbitt can explain what each term means in the context of your case.
It is important to know that believing someone was older is not a full defense. The court will still consider whether you should have known the person was underage. That is one reason these charges feel so confusing, especially when both people saw the situation differently.
Columbus Unlawful Sexual Misconduct Lawyer Near Me (614) 884-1100
These Serious Allegations Come With Life-Altering Penalties
Even a relationship between an 18-year-old and a 15-year-old can result in charges under Ohio law. When the age difference is less than four years, the offense may be treated as a first-degree misdemeanor, with penalties of up to six months in jail. Other situations can lead to felony charges and tougher consequences. That is especially true when certain aggravating factors apply, such as:
- A large age gap between the individuals involved (typically 10 years or more), especially when the relationship lasted a long time
- Prior criminal convictions, particularly any involving sexual offenses or minors
- Use of the internet, messaging apps, or social media to initiate or continue the communication
- Accusations involving multiple minors, ongoing behavior, or repeated incidents over time
- Long-term relationships that began when one person was underage, even if the contact seemed voluntary
- Allegations connected to other charges like luring, sexual imposition, possession of harmful material, or distribution of explicit content
- Claims that the accused attempted to meet in person or made plans to travel for that purpose
- Statements made during a police interview without legal counsel present
- Evidence that the accused continued communication after being asked to stop
When one or more of these factors are present, the court may increase the level of the charge. What might have been filed as a misdemeanor could become a felony with much steeper consequences. That is why every detail matters, especially early in the process.
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The Social Consequences and Civil Penalties of a Conviction
Even after a sentence ends, the impact of this kind of charge can show up in many parts of your daily life. The consequences go beyond the courtroom and can affect where you live, where you work, and how others respond to you. People often feel unprepared for what happens long after the case is over.
Sex Offender Registration and Tiered Consequences
In Ohio, most people convicted of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor must register as a sex offender. Under Ohio Revised Code § 2950.04, the length of Ohio sex offender registration depends on how the case is classified. Tier I usually means 15 years of reporting, Tier II lasts 25 years, and Tier III requires lifetime registration.
Registration typically involves regular check-ins with law enforcement and restrictions on where you can live. Failing to meet those requirements can lead to new charges, even if you have stayed out of trouble otherwise.
How a Conviction Can Follow You in Everyday Life
Background checks for jobs, housing, and volunteer work often flag this kind of record right away. Online court records can make it difficult to explain your situation, even years after the fact. This kind of visibility can change how people treat you, no matter the details of the case.
Our team can help you grasp the full impact of the charge and work to limit how far it reaches. Your reputation, relationships, and day-to-day choices are all at stake, and your unlawful sexual conduct with a minor lawyer in Columbus may be able to help mitigate how these charges affect your future.
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What to Expect From The Legal Process
Being accused of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor can leave you feeling overwhelmed and unsure of what to expect next. It is hard to know who to trust, especially during a Columbus investigation process for a sex offense. Knowing how these investigations work and what an effective defense might involve can make a difficult situation feel more manageable.
How Investigators Build These Charges
Many of these cases begin with online conversations, recorded messages, or reports from parents or schools. In some situations, investigators set up sting operations designed to catch people who respond to fake profiles. These operations often involve decoys and scripted conversations, which are allowed under Ohio Revised Code § 2933.81.
When someone is arrested based on a message thread or brief exchange, it is easy to misunderstand how much pressure was used to start or escalate the situation. Your Columbus juveniles charged with sex offenses defense lawyer at Koffel | Brininger | Nesbitt can look at the timing and wording to challenge how the state’s case was built.
What Happens After an Arrest
After an arrest, the case usually moves quickly. You may have a bond hearing, arraignment, and discovery deadlines coming up within days. Having someone in your corner right away helps you avoid common mistakes and respond to early requests from the court or the prosecution.
Your Columbus sexual exploitation of a minor defense lawyer from Koffel | Brininger | Nesbitt can step in to help with early motions, evidence preservation, and pretrial strategy. The earlier you involve legal counsel, the more control you can have over how your case unfolds in the first critical stages.
What Happens at an Arraignment
If you were recently arrested, your arraignment may already be on the calendar. This is where the charges are read aloud in court, and the judge asks how you want to plead. It is a short hearing, but what happens there can affect the rest of your case.
You may also find out about bond conditions or other restrictions. Having your unlawful sexual conduct with a minor attorney in Columbus with you at that stage helps you avoid agreeing to things that could make the road ahead harder than it needs to be.
How the Evidence Is Shared
Once the case is underway, the prosecutor has to share certain types of information. This includes things like digital messages, police reports, recorded interviews, or surveillance footage. All of that is called discovery, and it plays a major part in building your defense.
You have the right to see all the evidence that the state has before any major decisions are made. If something important is missing or if the story does not add up, that needs to be addressed early, not after the case has already moved forward.
Defense Strategies for Unlawful Sexual Conduct With a Minor
If you have been accused of something you did not intend or did not realize could lead to criminal charges, it can feel like the facts have already been decided.
These cases often involve assumptions, pressure, or one-sided stories. A strong defense built by your Columbus unlawful sexual conduct with a minor lawyer gives you a way to tell your side and focus on protecting your future.
You Did Not Know the Other Person Was Underage
In some cases, the younger person may have lied to you and said they were older than they actually are. There may have been nothing in the conversation that raised a concern, especially if the two people were close in age. If you had no clear reason to question what you were told, that may affect how the charge is handled.
To move forward with a case like this, prosecutors must show that you acted recklessly or intentionally. That means they need more than a simple age gap. What was said, how it was said, and what you understood at the time all become part of the defense.
Your Messages Were Taken Out of Context
Many charges like this come from text messages, social media chats, or app conversations. Messages do not always get shared in full, though. Sometimes the early parts of the conversation are left out, or responses are shown without the messages they were replying to.
Looking at the full conversation can help show what actually happened. That includes how the exchange started, what led up to it, and whether anything was pushed or misunderstood along the way.
You Were Pushed Into Saying Something You Did Not Mean
If someone reached out to you using a fake name or profile, that matters. Investigators often script their messages or steer the conversation to get a specific response. If you felt pressured or baited into saying something, you should have the chance to show how it happened.
You know what was said, how it started, and whether anything felt off. If the exchange seemed pushed or one-sided, that could become part of your defense. Your Columbus unlawful sexual conduct with a minor attorney will review all of your correspondence with the alleged victim to see the whole story, not just what the prosecution wants to share.
There Was No Plan to Meet or Take Action
If you never suggested meeting up or doing anything in real life, that is an important detail. A few messages by themselves do not always mean there was intent to follow through. If the conversation stayed online and never moved past that point, that should be part of your defense.
The court cannot rely on assumptions. If the evidence shows no effort to set up a time or place, that is something our defense team with Koffel | Brininger | Nesbitt can focus on early in the process.
Get Help From Your Unlawful Sexual Conduct With a Minor Lawyer in Columbus Today
Facing a charge like this can affect your future, your relationships, and your reputation in ways you may not see coming. Your unlawful sexual conduct with a minor attorney in Columbus at Koffel | Brininger | Nesbitt can help you respond the right way from the start. Contact us now to talk with someone who understands these charges and how to defend against them.
Call or text (614) 884-1100 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
