Pandering Crime and Charges in Las Vegas: Introduction
Despite being labeled as the City of Sin, Las Vegas does not condone any form of pandering among its establishments. Pandering, or what is more commonly known as ‘pimping’, is a serious felony that merits harsher penalties than merely soliciting sexual favors or signing up for the services of a prostitute outside licensed brothels. Being convicted of pandering can have a serious long-term effect on your life, even after you have served your term.
What is Pandering?
‘Pandering’, as defined by State law, is the act of persuading or encouraging a person or groups of persons either engage in acts of prostitution, or to continue working as a prostitute. Encouragement does not need to involve any acts of violence on the part of the panderer to be considered a pandering offense. In addition, forcefully detaining a person for the express purpose of marriage, either to the detainer or a third party, by force or coercion can be considered as pandering.
The same statutes also dictate that transporting someone to and from the State of Nevada for the purpose of prostitution, as well as receiving or agreeing to receive money or any other item of precious value to procure a person for prostitution, can be punishable as a pandering offense.
What are the Penalties?
A person convicted of pandering in Las Vegas can expect severe penalties. The full severity of his or her punishment, however, is dependent on several factors. The court will first consider the age of the prostitutes that the defendant has pandered, followed by determining if force or coercion was involved in this pandering. Any changes in these factors can adversely affect a convicted person’s situation, and put him in with even tougher punishment.
Adult Pandering
If there was use of force or coercion to encourage an adult to engage in prostitution, the convicted person has committed a Category C felony, and can expect the following penalties:
- Between one to five years in a Nevada prison
- Fines of up to $10,000
If there was no force or coercion was used to encourage an adult to be a prostitute, the courts determine the case as a category D felony with the following punishment:
- Between one to four years in prison
- A maximum of $5,000 in fines
Pandering a child
Penalties become more severe if the courts confirm that the accused was pandering underage individuals to be prostitutes.
If force or coercion was used in pandering a child or children to commit sexual acts, the convicted has performed a Class B felony and will face the following:
- A minimum of 2 years and a maximum of 20 years in Nevada State Prison; and/or
- A fine of not more than $20,000
If no immediate threat of force or coercion was used to encourage the child to engage in prostitution, then the crime is a category B felony, with the following penalties:
- A minimum of 1 year and a maximum of 10 years in Nevada State Prison
- And / or a fine of not more than $10,000
On top of these penalties, the convicted can expect an enhanced fine dependent on the age of the children that he or she pandered. Typically, the additional fines amount to:
- A fine amounting to a maximum of $100,000, dependent on whether the child was 14, 15, 16, or 17
- A fine amounting to a maximum of $500,000 if the child is below 14 years of age
- An additional fine amounting to $500,000 if a conspiracy was involved in the pandering
Las Vegas Prostitution Laws declares that The State has the right to forfeit any assets accumulated during the child’s tenure as a prostitute. These assets will be used for education against child prostitution in Nevada.
Giving Aid and Information
Transporting a person in and out of Nevada for the express purpose of prostitution is also punishable under the statutes of pandering crime. The transporter, if proven guilty, can expect to be slapped with a felony offense. The prosecution can take effect in any county or city if there was an attempt to transport the prostitute to that location within the state of Nevada. Age and force-and-coercion statutes also affect the severity of the penalties, which may include any or all of the following:
- Transportation of an adult prostitute with the use of force or coercion is a Category C felony, with the same penalties as above
- Transportation of an adult prostitute without force or coercion is a Category D felony, with similar penalties as above
- Transportation of a prostitute below 18 years with threat of force is a Category B felony and merits anywhere between 2 and 20 years in State prison and a fine of $20,000
- Transportation of a prostitute below 18 years without immediate threat or coercion is still a Category B felony with jail time in a Nevada state prison between 1 and 10 years, and a $10,000 fine
Placing a spouse in a brothel
Despite the fact that Nevada legalizes brothels in certain rural counties within the state, it does not condone pandering by placing a spouse within a brothel. Forcing a spouse to be a prostitute is a Category C felony if it involved force. If there was no usage of physical coercion to force the spouse into prostitution, it is a Category D felony. Similar penalties apply as to the Category C and penalties mentioned in previous sections.
Living off a prostitute’s earnings
Nevada’s revised statutes prohibits a person from living off a prostitute’s earnings. Knowingly accepting or receiving money from a prostitute is classified as a Category D felony. This is in effect even if the accused had no direct dealings with the prostitute, and technically did not pander the prostitute. It is punishable by:
- One to four years in jail time
- $5,000 in fines
Pandering and immigrants
Immigrants, whether they are documented or not, can face more severe penalties if convicted of pandering crimes within Las Vegas. On top of dealing with felony charges and fines, immigrants can expect to be deported from the United States with little or no chance of being allowed back in. This penalty applies even to long-term immigrants and residents that have long established their homes within Nevada.
Defending against Pandering Charges
Determining a person’s guilt in a pandering case can be difficult to ascertain, as most pandering cases tend to lie on second- or third-hand accounts with minimal concrete evidence. Defending against these charges may involve any one of the following arguments:
- Mistaken identity: the accused is, in fact, not the suspected pimp or madame that the authorities planned to arrest
- Undermining the accuser: the arrest may have been made on the pretense of revenge or discrediting the defendant
- Possible police misconduct during the arrest
- Money exchange that did not involve prostitution: the money that was used as evidence in the trial was in fact not meant for a pandering situation but for an actual legal transaction
Las Vegas Pandering Crimes Defense Attorney
Pandering is a serious accusation that will tarnish the accused person’s reputation whether they get the case dismissed or not. It is important that the defendant should find the finest legal defense assistance to ensure that he or she can score a favorable result in his pandering trial. Look for a Sex Crimes Lawyer that is fit for the job to ensure that you are on your way to regaining your freedom!
External References:
Nevada Revised Statutes 201.300: Click this link to see statutes relating to pandering, punishable crimes, and their equivalent penalties, in the Nevada Statutes.
Sex Brothels in Nevada: Check out this article to get an overview of the licensed brothel industry in rural parts of Nevada.