Sexual assault defense
Serious charges demand serious preparation. Investigation, not assumption — and not a word to police without counsel.
Few charges upend a life as fast as a sexual assault allegation. An accusation alone, before any evidence is tested in court, can cost a job, a home, and a family. If you are under investigation or already charged, the single most important step is simple: stop talking to police, and talk to a defense lawyer. Today.
Charges handled here
- First-degree sexual assault (Wis. Stat. § 940.225(1)): Class B felony; up to 60 years.
- Second-degree sexual assault (§ 940.225(2)): Class C felony; up to 40 years.
- Third-degree sexual assault (§ 940.225(3)): Class G felony; up to 10 years.
- Fourth-degree sexual assault (§ 940.225(3m)): Class A misdemeanor; up to 9 months.
- Sexual assault of a child (§ 948.02), with mandatory minimums in the most serious cases.
- Repeated sexual assault of the same child (§ 948.025).
- Child enticement (§ 948.07).
- Sexual exploitation / possession of child pornography (§§ 948.05, 948.12).
- Failure to register: a separate felony for registrants.
What makes these cases different
- The stakes beyond prison. Conviction triggers sex-offender registration (often lifetime) governing where you live, where you work, and how you interact with your own children. It is a second sentence that never ends.
- The nature of the evidence. These cases often have no neutral witnesses and little physical evidence. They turn on credibility, timing, context, and corroboration.
- The pressure to plead. A “reduced” charge that still requires registration is not actually a reduction. Every consequence gets mapped before any decision.
Defense strategies
Independent factual investigation
The timeline gets reconstructed from scratch: phone records, location data, texts, social media, and witnesses police never interviewed. The State builds its case on what the complainant says; the defense tests it against what the evidence shows.
Consent and credibility
Wisconsin's rape shield statute (§ 972.11) limits what can be introduced about a complainant, but it has exceptions. Knowing how and when to invoke them, and how to cross-examine within them, is its own skill.
Forensic evidence
DNA, SANE-exam findings, and digital forensics are not self-proving. Collection errors, chain-of-custody gaps, and the distance between “consistent with” and “proof of” are all fair targets.
Interrogation review
Many convictions start with an interview given before the client knew they needed a lawyer. Every interrogation is reviewed for Miranda compliance, coercion, and voluntariness.
Defense experts
False-memory research, the suggestibility of child interviews, delayed disclosure, and forensic-testing science: the right expert, engaged early, changes how a jury hears the case.
Consequences to understand before any plea
- Mandatory sex-offender registration, often for life.
- Residency restrictions that can bar you from your own home.
- Loss of firearms rights.
- Immigration consequences, including removal for non-citizens.
- Professional license, employment, and housing consequences.
- Permanent impact on custody and visitation.
Under investigation, but not charged?
The pre-charge window is the most important window in any sex-crime case. Police may ask for a “quick conversation,” a polygraph, or arrange a “pretext call” from the complainant. None of those are neutral — they are evidence-gathering for the State. Do not participate without counsel. Call first.
Whenever you're ready to talk, someone steady is ready to listen.
The first conversation is free and confidential. It costs nothing to find out where you stand, and it's the first step toward getting your footing back.