Massachusetts Sex Crime Charges We Defend

Sex offense charges in Massachusetts range from misdemeanors to serious felonies. The charge level depends on factors such as the age of the alleged victim, whether force was involved, and whether a child was implicated. Understanding exactly what you’re facing is the first step toward building a defense.

Charges our firm handles include:

• Rape and aggravated sexual assault
• Statutory rape
• Indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or older
• Indecent assault and battery on a child under 14
• Child pornography possession and distribution
• Internet sex crimes and online solicitation of a minor
• Human trafficking and sexual servitude
• Prostitution and solicitation
• Indecent exposure and open and gross lewdness
• Lewd, wanton, and lascivious acts
• Failure to register as a sex offender

Internet-based allegations, including undercover sting operations and cases built on digital evidence, are increasingly common in Massachusetts. These cases require close examination of investigative techniques, chain-of-custody issues, and constitutional questions around searches of phones and computers.

What a Massachusetts Sex Crime Conviction Can Cost You

A conviction doesn’t end when a sentence is served. In Massachusetts, a single conviction generally triggers a 20-year registration requirement with the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board (SORB), the state agency that classifies convicted offenders and governs ongoing reporting obligations. Certain offenses require lifetime registration, including sexually violent offenses, two or more qualifying sex offense convictions on separate occasions, or a court determination of sexually violent predator status. SORB classifies individuals into three risk levels, and that classification determines whether your information appears publicly and what restrictions may follow for years.

Beyond registration, a conviction can mean GPS monitoring, no-contact orders, restrictions on internet use, and the loss of professional licenses. A sexual assault conviction can severely limit employment options, housing choices, and educational opportunities, and can affect gun rights. For non-citizens, the immigration consequences can be immediate and severe. The stigma of a sex offense accusation can damage reputation and family relationships well before a case reaches resolution, which is why early legal intervention matters.

How We Defend Sex Crime Cases in Massachusetts

We prepare every case as if it will go to trial, regardless of how it ultimately resolves. That discipline shapes everything from the initial review of charging documents through discovery, pretrial motions, and courtroom preparation.

The Retired Police Sergeant Advantage

Attorney Sweeney’s background as a retired Boston Police Sergeant gives us direct insight into how law enforcement builds sex crime cases: how evidence is gathered, how arrests are made, and where investigative shortcuts create vulnerabilities in the prosecution’s theory. That perspective informs how we read discovery and identify potential violations of our clients’ rights. In sexual assault and rape cases, our attorneys have obtained medical and counseling records that are often restricted in these matters and used information from those records to work toward favorable resolutions.

Defense Strategies We Use

Our discovery process regularly uncovers information that draws an alleged victim’s credibility into question. Defense strategies in Massachusetts sex crime cases can include challenging witness credibility, examining motives to fabricate, contesting the absence of forensic evidence, reviewing police interrogation methods, analyzing digital evidence chain of custody, and raising consent, mistaken identity, or statute of limitations defenses. A motion to suppress evidence can be a pivotal pretrial tool when law enforcement obtained evidence through an unconstitutional search or seizure; it can affect the scope of the prosecution’s case and may support dismissal or a reduction in charges.

We use state-of-the-art technology for secure client communication and case management, and clients have direct access to their attorneys at every stage. You won’t be passed off to staff when you have a question that matters.

Speak with a Massachusetts Sex Crimes Attorney Today

Sweeney & Associates, LLC serves clients facing sex crime charges throughout Massachusetts. We’re listed in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers, and Attorney Sweeney has earned Boston Magazine’s Top Lawyers recognition three consecutive times, most recently in 2025. We offer both fixed and hourly billing rates so you have clarity on legal costs from the start. Free, confidential case evaluations are available 24/7.

Call (617) 300-0212 now to speak with a Massachusetts sex offense attorney about your case.