Solicitation is defined by commanding, authorizing, enticing, advising, urging or requesting and urging a person to take part in some form of sexual act or providing nude pictures and computer solicitation specifically means the committing of any of these things through an online platform including websites, social media and other communication forums.
Any person who violates the laws of solicitation in Maryland is considered huilty of a felony. The individual is convicted with jail time of a maximum of 10 years or a fine of a maximum of 25,000 dollars and in some cases, both. Crimes of this kind do not need any physical contact to have occurred between two people. Regardless if they have never even met in real life. If one of the persons is a minor and the other person who could be an adult or someone who is also a minor but still a few years older than the child and they solicit the child for any kind of sexual acts on video chatting or to send nude and explicit photos and videos of themselves then they are committing a criminal act and are potentially punishable by the law for it. They will be considered a Maryland sex offender and will have to deal with heavy penalties including lifetime imprisonment as well as registering on the sexual offenders list for a lifetime.
Online sexual exploitation laws have long since been challenged by lawyers and defendants who deal in cases where all the data and material shared was with the consent of both parties. In these cases the defendants feel as though one party is not just responsible for the act and furthermore, neither of the parties feel violated or exploited. However, these laws have not budged yet and still hold all parties accountable for their actions. Furthermore, Maryland also has laws that state that a person is punishable even if they only believe that the person they are talking to online is a minor. Even though they may not have solicited a minor online however if proved that they have the intention or capability to do, they are still eligible to be convicted.
Sex offences are not taken lightly by the state and those committed against minors are taken even less lightly. A conviction means severe legal as well as financial consequences for a person. Not only is their life extremely hard after being convicted but their professional life and career are also put in peril. Second time offenders may face an increased sentence of jail imprisonment and they will face joblessness for the rest of their lives.
There are a number of legal firms and lawyers that are committed to helping people build a case as well as provide practice sessions for court hearings. People convicted for these charges face severe and extreme backlash and negativity from the community and society and their life in Maryland is not easy after being convicted and even after serving their sentence and paying their fines.