Yes. In New Jersey, statutory rape is charged as sexual assault or aggravated sexual assault.
Not knowing the age of the victim is no defense.
Statutory sexual assault is what’s known as a “strict liability offense,” which makes your knowledge of the victim’s age irrelevant.
The only thing that matters is that the crime was committed.
The younger the victim in a statutory sexual assault case, the more likely it is that prosecutors will charge the crime as aggravated sexual assault, which carries a sentence of as much as 20 years.
A conviction for statutory sexual assault can put the offender away for 10 years.
Things don’t get a lot easier once you’re back in society. You’ll be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of your life, which will limit your options in life drastically.
Conviction of any sex crime is devastating to individuals and their families, but when those sex crimes involve minors, the stakes are too high to take any chances with your defense.
If you’ve been questioned in relation to a sex crime investigation, or have been arrested and charged with sex crimes including statutory rape, call Matthew Reisig right away at 732-625-9661 for a free consultation with an experienced sex crimes defense attorney.