During our decades of legal work, we have talked with many individuals who knowingly and willingly enter the sex trade, full well knowing that what they are doing is crossing some legal lines or is downright illegal. Unfortunately, many women don’t enter the trade on their own free will, and are instead coerced or forced into the trade by pimps and handlers.
These handlers can make it extremely difficult for a woman to leave the sex industry, which is why Minnesota harshly punishes those found guilty of promoting or forcing individuals to partake in prostitution. Today, we take a closer look at how Minnesota penalizes the promotion of prostitution.
What Is Promotion of Prostitution?
According to Minnesota Statute 609.322, whoever, while acting other than as a prostitute or patron, intentionally does any of the following, is guilty of promotion of prostitution in the second degree.
- Solicits or induces an individual to practice prostitution;
- Promotes the prostitution of an individual;
- Receives profit, knowing or having reason to know that it is derived from the prostitution, or the promotion of the prostitution, of an individual; or
- Engages in the sex trafficking of an individual.
As you might imagine, the charges can be upgraded if certain factors are involved. If the victim was injured during their forced labor, or the person was under the age of 18, the charges can be upgraded to a felony-level first degree offense.
Penalties For Promoting Prostitution
The penalties for promoting prostitution in Minnesota are severe. According to the law, individuals charged with second degree promotion of prostitution can be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison, fines up to $40,000, or both. Individuals charged with first degree promotion of prostitution can face up to 20 years in prison, fines up to $50,000, or both, and if the victim was injured or there were multiple victims, those penalties can increase to $60,000 fines and up to 25 years in jail.
As you can see, the penalties for promoting prostitution are very strict, and even if you’re not the ringleader of the operation, if you profit from the act, you can face these serious charges. This is why it’s so important to challenge the charges, and the best way to do that is with an experienced criminal trial lawyer. Avery and his team have helped a number of people facing a variety of different prostitution-related charges, and we can help you out of a sticky situation. For more information on how we’ll achieve this, reach out and set up a free strategy session with Avery today.
