Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog

Sixteen men are facing federal charges in Los Angeles and elsewhere after the Federal Bureau of Investigation broke up what it says was an online child pornography ring, the New York Times reported.

An L.A. Internet Crimes Defense Attorney should always be called to represent a defendant facing child pornography charges involving online images of minors. As we wrote recently on our L.A. Criminal Defense Blog, few crimes carry the stigma associated with sex crimes against children.

Job loss, loss of reputation, strained or broken relationships with friends or family, and the prospect of being registered as a registered sex offender await those who are convicted. Strict limitations as conditions of probation or parole, including restricted or forbidden access to the Internet, public parks and areas known to be frequented by children, can severely impede your future freedom and movement. Unfortunately, a suspect will frequently talk to investigators with the hopes of avoiding charges. Detectives know this and use it to their advantage.

If you have been approached for questioning, you are very likely to be charged. Please consult an experienced criminal defense attorney in Los Angeles immediately. Too often, the best evidence against a defendant is his or her own words during interview or interrogation.

Additionally, federal charges should always be handled by a defense lawyer experienced in federal court, where the rules and laws are much different than state court. Child pornography on the Internet is frequently prosecuted in federal court because the allegations often cross state and national boundaries. The charges can be very serious because each image is often charged as its own offense, leading to dozens or even hundreds of felony charges for the same alleged behavior.

In this case, the government alleges the scope of the child pornography ring included defendants in the United States, South America, Europe and New Zealand. A tip from Europe in 2008 prompted the investigation. Five of 16 suspects in the United States have already pleaded guilty. Some of the network's 35 members remain unidentified. Those convicted in U.S. federal court face a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Continue reading "Federal Internet Crimes require aggressive, experienced defense in Los Angeles" »

An elementary school teacher is facing child pornography charges in Los Angeles, the Times reported.

Such charges can be devastating. Job loss, loss of reputation and the estrangement of friends and family frequently result. More than many other types of charges, you are deemed guilty until proven innocent and a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney will need to move aggressively on all fronts in the fight for your freedom and your reputation.

Additionally, the consequences of sex-offender registration can haunt you for years to come, requiring that you register with authorities or face additional legal problems, and in some cases even requiring that your neighbors be individually notified of your presence in the community.

In this case, the 53-year-old Carson elementary teacher is accused of posting and distributing pornography over the Internet and has been placed on unpaid leave as he faces the charges in Los Angeles Superior Court.

The advent of the Internet has seen an explosion in such crimes. The U.S. Department of Justice reports that more computer crimes originate in California and Florida than anywhere else in the nation. When it comes to child pornography, there have been documented cases of computer viruses and file-sharing networks being responsible for the presences of illicit images on a computer. Additionally, other users, including teenagers, may have been responsible for images found on a homeowner's computer.

The L.A. Unified's Dominguez Elementary teacher was home when a search warrant was served on his computer. Police say he admitted to downloading and viewing images of child pornography. Police seized several computers and DVDs from the residence.

He is charged with one count of possession of child pornography and one county of child pornography.

A defendant facing charges involving sex crimes in L.A. or the surrounding area should not speak to investigators and should instead seek out the assistance of an experienced defense attorney as soon as possible -- even before charges are filed. Whether the defendant made an admission in this case will be for the court to decide, certainly whatever statement he did make is being characterized by law enforcement as a confession.

Exercising your right to remain silent is a good first step toward building a defense.

Continue reading "School teacher charged with computer crimes, child pornography in Los Angeles" »

A Palos Verdes Estates man is facing charges for allegedly having sex with a 14-year-old girl after posing as a teenager on the Internet, ABC7 reported.

So far, he faces a federal charge in Los Angeles of using the Internet to induce a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity, the Daily Breeze reports. He could also face felony state charges involving sex with a minor, according to the newspaper. Statutory rape charges in Los Angeles can be filed for cases involving sexual intercourse with a teenager age 14 to 18. It can be charged as either a misdemeanor or a felony and is punishable by up to one year in the county jail or up to 4 years in prison.

This is also frequently referred to as unlawful sex with a minor.

Authorities say the 24-year-old defendant used multiple identities on MySpace in the commission of the alleged crimes. The investigation started in August when the Palos Verdes Estates police were told by a relative that a 14-year-old girl had sex with the defendant in her home, according to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. The Federal Bureau of Investigation was subsequently called in to assist with the case.

Computer crimes in L.A. and the surrounding area are increasingly common and always require the representation of an experienced criminal defense lawyer. In cases where an officer is posing online as a potential victim, entrapment and other issues frequently arise. In cases involving Internet child pornography, a computer owner is often an unwitting victim. Other users may be responsible for the content. In other cases a computer virus or a third-party may have downloaded or stored illicit content on your computer. Charges involving file-sharing sites are common and child pornographers have been known to store material on the computer of an unsuspecting user.

Continue reading "Federal computer charges in Los Angeles allege man used Internet to find teens for sex " »

A local pastor is facing sexual assault charges in Los Angeles for allegedly having sex with a 14-year-old girl who was participating in church youth group, the Mercury News reported.

No charge requires a more aggressive defense -- both in the courtroom and in the court of public opinion -- than sex crimes involving children. In recent years, charges involving clergy have become commonplace and many innocent men of faith have seen their careers and their reputations destroyed by baseless accusations.

A Megan's Law defense lawyer can defend clients accused of sex crimes requiring sex-offender notification under California law, including rape, sexual battery and kidnapping to commit a sex crime. A defendant may also find themselves accused of violating the law's notification requirements, such as registering a change of address or otherwise reporting as required. In such cases, a Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer can help defend your rights.

Authorities say the 45-year-old pastor had been sexually assaulting the teen for several months. He was arrested Thursday and released after posing $140,000 bail. Police say the South Los Angeles pastor befriended the girl in a church youth group and took her to several vacant properties, where he had sex with her.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the defendant has been charged with six felony counts, including lewd acts with a minor and unlawful sexual intercourse.

Continue reading "Pastor accused of sexually assaulting 14-year-old girl in Los Angeles" »

In California, Megan's Law "requires convicted sex offenders to register with their local law enforcement agency," explains Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Stephen Rodriguez. Megan's Law also "makes it possible for people to get information about the identity and address of registered sex offenders," the experienced lawyer noted. As an aid to concerned parents and California citizens, Rodriguez provides a link to both California's and national registered sex offender databases on his website.

Megan's Laws have been initiated in all 50 states. Created in response to the brutal rape and murder of 7-year-old Megan Kanka by a neighbor who was a convicted child molester, many feel Megan's Law has been instrumental in protecting children from sexual predators and in finding those who commit sexual offenses against children. So why didn't Megan's Law help Jaycee Lee Dugard sooner?

Kidnapped at the age of 11, Jaycee was raped and kept confined in a rustic backyard compound for 18 years by Phillip Garrido (see our Sep. 23 post). Garrido, who served 10 years in prison for a 1970s kidnapping and rape, was registered on California's sex offender registry. Even while keeping Jaycee captive, Garrido checked in with local authorities as required by California law and reported to a parole officer for the 1970's rape.

While citizens believe that registration means sex offenders are well monitored by police, the reality is that law enforcement resources are seriously overwhelmed. In Contra Costa County where Garrido resided there are 1,700 registered sex offenders and more than 65,000 registered throughout California. Registered sex offenders include both people arrested for the most heinous sexual crimes against children and those arrested for minor crimes like exposure, making it difficult to distinguish the degree of risk posed by an individual.

Many question whether Megan's Law actually deters sexual predation against children. As recently pointed out by an intriguing New York Times article on the limitations of sex offender registries, it may simply be forcing predators like Garrido to relocate in rural areas where their activities are less visible.

For more information on Megan's Law, links to sex offender registries and tips for protecting your children, visit L.A. attorney Stephen Rodriguez' Megan's Law website.

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The discovery of Jaycee Lee Dugard living in makeshift tents behind a home in Antioch, California 18 years after her abduction shocked the country. Snatched from a school bus stop near her South Lake Tahoe, CA home in 1991 when she was 11, Dugard had been held in isolation by a convicted sex offender who fathered two children with her, one when she was only 14. Phillip Garrido and his wife, Nancy, were arrested. Garrido, charged with kidnapping, raping and imprisoning Dugard, is now suspected in the kidnapping and disappearance of two California 13-year-olds in the late 1980s.

With a twisted history of sexual abuse and drug use, Garrido became fanatical about religion in the 1970s. Imprisoned in 1977 for kidnapping and repeatedly raping a Reno, Nevada woman, he told a police psychiatrist, "I have been brought to God." It was his religious fervor that eventually led to Dugard's discovery and rescue and Garrido's arrest. His odd behavior while seeking a permit to hold a religious rally at UC-Berkley made officials suspicious, triggering events that led to his arrest.

Child molesters often turn to religion to rationalize their actions, Ken Lanning, a former FBI profiler specializing in kidnapping and child abuse cases, told the Associated Press. "A lot of them, when they're molesting children, put a lot of time and energy into trying to convince themselves that they're not bad people," Lanning said. "In some cases, the element of religion will come into it, and they will use varying aspect of their religious belief to justify all of this."

In conversations with neighbors and business clients and in police interviews before his arrest, Garrido repeatedly talked about finding God. The Reno woman he raped in 1977 said he preached about God and Jesus while he was raping her.

On Friday: Why Megan's Law didn't help Jaycee Dugard sooner.

• 1 in 5 tweens, children aged 8 to 12, have posted personal information about themselves on the Internet.


• 1 in 4 pre-teens have been contacted online by a stranger.


• 1 in 10 tweens have responded and chatted online with someone they didn't know.

Those are some of the disturbing findings of the Tween Internet Safety Survey sponsored by Cox Communications and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. By the time they're 9, most American children have used the Internet. Not quite half (42%) of 8- to 10-year olds have a personal email account. By the time they're 11 and 12, 71% have their own email accounts, 50% have their own cell phone, 41% regularly send instant messages, and more than a third have a profile on a social network site like Facebook or MySpace.

Of those preteens with social network profiles, the survey found that 61% posted photos of themselves to their site, 48% admitted they had lied about their age on their site, and 51% said they'd received messages from people they didn't know.

The survey and an accompanying summit hosted by John Walsh, host of Fox TV's America's Most Wanted, brought together teens, tweens and experts to talk about the perils children encounter in cyberspace. Walsh called social network sites "a hunting ground" for pedophiles and warned that posting personal profiles on such sites increases children's risk of being contacted by strangers, being bullied by peers, or being the victim of an embarrassing attack or worse. Often the danger comes from strangers preying on unsuspecting children. Sometimes, though, the danger comes from peers -- petty jealousies, bullying or horsing around that goes too far.

When committed by one child against another, these crimes are prosecuted in the California juvenile court system. "Juvenile courts handle cases involving children between the ages of 10 and 17," explains expert Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Stephen Rodriquez. "The intent is to rehabilitate the child, not punish him or her."

However, when an adult acts against a child on the Internet, he can be charged with a sex crime against a minor, a serious crime in the state of California that can be life changing. Conviction is likely to result in a felony record, a prison sentence, and lifetime registration as a sex offender. Early defense by an experienced Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer can minimize charges brought against you.

-Legal Pro

The Los Angeles Police Department reports that it has cleared nearly two-thirds of the backlogged rape test kits found in a 2008 city audit and expects to clear the remaining 4,500 by the summer of 2010. In a scandal that made the national news, a 2008 city audit of the LAPD discovered a backlog of 12,000 unprocessed rape kits, 200 of which had been awaiting testing for more than 10 years, putting them past the prosecution statue of limitations.

Rape kits are used to collect physical evidence of sexual assault, including DNA, from a victim's body after an assault. Timely processing and analysis of rape kits is critical to identifying and convicting rapists, particularly repeat offenders, before they assault another victim. The DNA processed in rape kits is often the only method of positively identifying an attacker or exonerating someone falsely accused. Earlier this year, DNA analysis delayed because of LAPD's backlog led to the arrest of a serial rapist/murderer the police have been hunting since the 1970s.

Human Rights Watch (HRW), a victim's rights advocacy that helped uncover the backlog, has made an example of LAPD's poor handling of the problem to give the issue a national forum. LAPD is not the only law enforcement agency dealing with a backlog of rape kits. Poor administration, lack of funding and the failure or inability of law enforcement to prioritize DNA testing in rape cases are cited as common problems leading to testing backlogs. Two new bills have been introduced in the California legislature that would improve law enforcement's ability to process rape kits throughout the state.

Rape is the most serious of the sex crimes prosecuted in California. Illegal sexual activity includes rape, child abuse, child molestation, sexual assaults, sexual battery, indecent exposure, statutory rape, date rape, prostitution, solicitation, pornography and sodomy. Penalties for conviction of rape and other sex crimes are severe and life changing. Offenders can be required to register with local police as sex offenders which can severely limit housing and employment and ostracize offenders from the community. If you are charged with rape or any California sex crime, it is critical that your immediately seek counsel from an experienced criminal defense attorney like Stephen Rodriguez in Los Angeles.

While a few sex crimes such as indecent exposure and solicitation for prostitution are usually charged as misdemeanors, most sex crimes in the state of California are charged as felonies and vigorously prosecuted by special Sex Crimes Units in the District Attorney's office. If contacted to represent you early enough, a knowledgeable criminal defense attorney like Stephen Rodriguez may be able to minimize sex offense charges against you.

Los Angeles police recently charged a 72-year-old insurance claims adjuster with the murder of two women in the 1970s and say he may have committed at least 30 rape/murders since the 1970s. Los Angeles' most prolific serial killer, Floyd Thomas, a twice-convicted sexual offender, was exposed when a sample of his DNA was taken as part of California's initiative to build a sex offender database. In and out of jail since the late-1950s for rape, sexual assault and burglary, Thomas preyed on elderly women, raping and strangling them to death.

Despite protests from privacy advocates, the FBI and 15 states -- including California -- collect DNA samples from people arrested or detained. Previously, DNA collection used to be limited to convicted felons, but there is a growing movement in law enforcement to collect DNA samples from anyone arrested, the innocent and guilty alike. Proponents argue that DNA sampling is no more invasive than fingerprinting. In fact, some law enforcement officials envision a day when a national database will hold the DNA of every citizen. They argue that DNA databases are already being used to solve crimes that have been in cold case files for years.

"DNA databases were built initially to deal with violent sexual crimes and homicides -- a very limited number of crimes," Harry Levine, City University of New York professor of sociology, recently told reporter Solomon Moore of the New York Times. "Over time, more and more crimes of decreasing severity have been added to the database."

Favoring the argument that criminal acts reduce individual rights, courts have generally upheld laws that authorize the compulsory collection of DNA. However, a congressional report warns that courts "have not fully considered the legal implications of recent extension of DNA collection." Opponents are concerned that DNA samples are being taken without relevance to the crime committed. Laws governing DNA collection vary from state to state and have allowed DNA collection for everything from serious felonies like murder and sexual assault to minor misdemeanors like shoplifting.

If you are questioned by police or arrested in Los Angeles, you need to hire a skilled and aggressive criminal defense attorney immediately to protect your rights. "The incriminating statements you make during a police investigation are powerful weapons in a prosecutor's hands," warns expert Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Stephen Rodriguez. His advice: "Do not give any statements to the police without an experienced Los Angeles criminal defense attorney at your side." Until your attorney is there to advise you, Rodriguez tells his clients, "The best strategy is to exercise your constitutional right to remain silent." Do not voluntarily submit to a DNA or any other test without your attorney's consent.

In a case that defies understanding, 28-year-old Melissa Huckaby was charged yesterday with the kidnapping, rape and murder of her daughter's 8-year-old playmate. Sandra Cantu's body was found stuffed in a suitcase and dumped in a pond not far from her Stockton, California home. The suitcase has been identified as belonging to Huckaby. Huckaby, a Sunday school teacher and granddaughter of a local Baptist minister, cried as the judge read the charges. If convicted of all counts, Huckaby could face the death penalty or life in prison without parole.

Members of this small northern California community are shocked. While Huckaby has not yet entered a plea, she told a reporter the suitcase in which Cantu was found is hers, although she said the suitcase had been stolen the day before Cantu disappeared. Huckaby was arrested hours after that interview. Cantu was last seen on a surveillance camera video playing outside the mobile home park where her family lived just five doors from the mobile home Huckaby and her daughter share with her grandparents. A 10-day search for the girl ended on April 6 when farm workers found the suitcase containing Cantu's body in an irrigation pond.

Huckaby's family described her to the press as a loving mother with a strong religious background and seemed particularly distressed by reports that Cantu was raped with a foreign object. Tragically, it is doubtful that Megan's Law could have helped prevent the rape and murder of little Sandra Cantu. Megan's Law "requires convicted sex offenders to register with their local law enforcement agency," explained expert Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Stephen Rodriguez. Huckaby has no known prior record of sexual predation and was not required to register as a sexual offender.

The Cantu case points out one of the major problems with Megan's Law. The law helps parents keep their children safe only from known and registered sex offenders. There is no protection against first-time or undiscovered sexual predators until after they have harmed a child and been convicted of the crime. In California, convicted sex offenders must register with law enforcement agencies within 5 days of being released from prison and any time they change their address or name. They are also required to update registration information every year, defense attorney Rodriguez noted, adding that the most violent predators may be required to update their information more frequently.

As a service to the public, the law offices of experienced Los Angeles criminal defense lawyers Rodriguez, Lewis & Kahn maintain a helpful Megan's Law webpage with useful information about Megan's Law and helpful links to registered sex offender databases in California and throughout the U.S.

When a Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer defends a client who is accused of child molestation or child pornography, the case usually involves jail time, counseling, fines, probation, sex offense registration and other criminal penalties. But new developments in sexual offenses are causing Los Angeles sex offense lawyers to have to look at the possible civil consequences as well.

A federal judge in Connecticut has ordered a man convicted of possessing child pornography to pay about $200,000 in restitution to a woman photographed as a child while being sexually abused. Senior U.S. District Judge Warren W. Eginton said his ruling Monday was the first criminal case in which someone convicted of possessing illegal images -- but not creating them -- is required to pay restitution.

The case involves Alan Hesketh, a British citizen who was sentenced in October to 78 months in prison for possessing and distributing nearly 2,000 photographs of child pornography. The resident of Stonington, Conn., was a vice president of New York-based Pfizer Inc., the world's biggest drugmaker.

Los Angeles sex offense attorneys understand that the law, juries, judges, the media and the public are largely against anyone accused of a sexual offense such as child molestation, even if the accused is innocent.

Rodriguez, Lewis & Kahn is experienced in criminal defense for child abuse, molestation, sexual assaults and child-related sex offenses in Los Angeles and Southern California. His team has successfully defended against many cases involving false accusations by children and has kept a number of falsely-accused individuals from going to prison.

A new federally-funded study on sex offenses concludes that Megan's Law hasn't deterred repeat sexual offenders and that costs associated with implementing the law may not be justified. Conducted in New Jersey, the state that initiated the now nationwide Megan's Law campaign, the study found that while Megan's Law has made it easier to find sex offenders, it hasn't changed the types of sex crimes committed or decreased the number of victims.

Named for Megan Kanka, a 7-year-old New Jersey girl raped and murdered in 1994 by a neighbor who had twice been convicted of sexual offenses, Megan's Laws have been enacted in all 50 states. California's Megan's Law "requires convicted sex offenders to register with their local law enforcement agency, and makes it possible for people to get information about the identity and address of registered sex offenders," explains expert Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Stephen Rodriguez. As an aid to Los Angeles and California residents, Rodriguez has created a Megan's Law website with links to California's registered sex offender database, links to Megan's Law data bases in other states, useful information about how sexual offenses are prosecuted in California, and valuable tips on protecting your children from sexual predators.

Conducted by the New Jersey Department of Corrections with Rutgers University, the new study used statistical data to evaluate the effect of Megan's law on state crime rates. The study found that while New Jersey spent approximately half a million dollars implementing Megan's Law in 1995, annual costs had climbed to $4 million by 2007. Given the high costs of implementation and negligible effect as a deterrent, some budget-strapped states are taking a closer look at the value of Megan's Law.

However, Megan's mother, Maureen Kanka, told Associated Press reporter Beth DeFalco that Megan's Law was never intended to change sexual predator behavior. "It was to provide an awareness to the public, which it has done." Kanka contends that making parents aware of sexual predators in their midst enables them to better protect their children. Study author, Kristen Zgoba, a research supervisor for the New Jersey Corrections Department, disagreed, telling DeFalco that awareness does not increase safety. "There's no other way to increase safety other than to decrease the likelihood of these crimes taking place."

The study concluded that while registration and notification programs can be helpful, rehabilitation programs for offenders or programs that remove them from the population are more productive. New Jersey's aggressive civil commitment of repeat sex offenders may be more responsible than Megan's Law for the state's sex crimes reduction over the last decade.

Being convicted of a sex crime carries penalties that are, in some ways, more severe than that of any crime short of murder. While nobody debates the seriousness of sex crimes, the punishments and penalties for these crimes can border on inhumane. Los Angeles sex offense lawyers regularly defend people who have already been convicted in the minds of the media and the public. Most, if not all, states inAmericarequire certain types of sex offenders to become part of a registry that is available for public viewing and are often severely limited as to where they can work or live. As demonstrated below, a sex offense lawyer may be the only friend someone has if charged with a sexual offense inLos Angeles. As one extreme example, the State ofGeorgiapassed legislation in 2006 that barred sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of a school, daycare center, church, park or any other place where children may gather. This law would be simply on par with laws in many other states if not for the fact that it also included bus stops. Compliance with this law would render nearly all of the state, and certainly almost any major metropolitan area, off limits for a sex offender. Because of the difficulty in enforcing this, there is currently a restraining order on the bus stop portion of this law. InCalifornia, registered sex offenders are barred from living within 2,000 feet of schools, parks or other places where children may gather, and home addresses of many registered sex offenders are available online for anyone to view. The extent to which sex offenders are punished in other countries is almost limitless. A report released by the Council of Europe's Anti-Torture Committee in July of 2008 detailed the surgical castration of at least 94 convicted sex offenders in theCzech Republicin the decade preceding their visit to the country in April of 2008. Under Czech law, prisoners must "request" the procedure, but the committee's research found that a large majority of prisoners elected to have the procedure done because they had been threatened with lifelong imprisonment. The Committee's findings also uncovered at least five cases where the prisoner who had the surgical castration performed was legally incapacitated (mentally handicapped) and a court-appointed guardian had signed the consent form. In two instances of those five, the prisoners' legal guardians were mayors. The Committee called the practice "invasive, irreversible and mutilating, " and called for an immediate end to it.

Megan's Law was created in the face of tragedy after 7-year-old Megan Kanka of New Jersey was brutally raped and killed by a neighbor who was a known child molester. Megan's parents had no knowledge of the man's background and no reason to be on the alert or warn their daughter -- until it was too late. Devastated by what had happened to their child, the Kanka's lobbied tirelessly to give other parents the tools to protect their children from sexual predators.

Megan's Law requires convicted sex offenders to register with law enforcement agencies. It also makes it possible for the public to obtain information about the identities and addresses of registered sex offenders. But parents must be ever vigilante. More than 90% of children are molested by someone they know.

Today, we offer additional tips for keeping your children safe.

• Never leave children unattended in an automobile, not even to run in and out of a store.


• Teach your children never to talk to anyone in a car or accept a ride from anyone they don't know and trust.


• Teach your children never to go anywhere with anyone without getting your permission first.


• Be an active participant in your children's activities.


• Listen to your children. Pay attention if your child doesn't want to be with someone or go somewhere.


• Notice people who pay too much attention to your child.


• Teach your children that they always have the right to say no to unwelcome, uncomfortable or confusing touching or actions by others, including adults. Teach them to tell you immediately if this happens and take their fears seriously.


• Be sensitive to changes in your child's behavior or attitude.


• When your children confide in you, remain calm and try not to criticize or judge. Help your children solve the problem.


• Carefully screen babysitters and caregivers.


• Don't allow your children to wear clothing or carry items displaying their name. Predators can use your child's name to create a false impression of familiarity and engage your child in conversation.

You can find more information about Megan's Law and links to state and national sexual predator locators on the California Attorney General's Megan's Law website. As an aide to parents and the public, Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Stephen Rodriguez has also created a special Megan's Law website containing valuable information about Megan's Law and useful links to additional registered sex offender resources.

To protect our children from the violence of sexual predators, every state in the U. S. now has a Megan's Law in place, including California. California's Megan's Law requires convicted sex offenders to register with their local law enforcement agency. The law also makes it possible for the public to obtain the identity and addresses of registered sex offenders. Most states track the locations of registered sex offenders on easily accessible Internet websites. California's sex offender registry is managed by the office of the state's Attorney General.

Proactive in its efforts to halt sexual predators from preying on children, California has required sex offenders to register with local law enforcement offices for 50 years, but it was not until the enaction of Megan's Law that the information was readily available to the public. Unfortunately, Megan's Law tracks only convicted sexual offenders. Parents must educate their children and maintain family vigilance to ensure their children's safety.

The California Attorney General's Megan's Law website recommends parents take the following actions to protect their children from sexual predation:

• Inform your children that it is wrong for adults to engage children in sexual activity.


• Stress to your child that he should tell you if anything happens that makes him feel uncomfortable, especially if an adult is involved.


• Get to know the people your child spends time with, particularly the parents of their friends.


• Teach your children about their bodies and the correct words to use when describing private parts. Emphasize that those parts are private.


• Know where your children are at all times. Be clear about places and homes your children are allowed to visit. Make sure your children tell you where they are going when they leave home and check in when they arrive or depart their destination and when plans change. If your child is abducted, the sooner the police are alerted, the better the chance of a positive outcome.


• Set an example for your child by always telling him when your plans change or when you are running late. Emphasize that such family rules are for everyone's safety.

For more information on Megan's Law and useful links to California, state and federal sex offender registration sites, please visit the website of Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer Stephen Rodriguez.