Sex Crimes Defense

Few categories of charge can upend a life as fast as a sexual assault allegation. An accusation alone — before any evidence has been tested in court — can cost a job, a home, a family, and a reputation. If you are under investigation or already charged, the single most important thing you can do is stop talking to police and talk to a defense attorney. Not tomorrow. Today.

Sexual assault charges we defend in Wisconsin

• First-degree sexual assault (Wis. Stat. § 940.225(1)) — Class B felony; up to 60 years in prison.
• 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 jail.
• Sexual assault of a child (§ 948.02) — first- and second-degree child sexual assault, with mandatory minimum sentences in the most serious cases.
• Repeated sexual assault of the same child (§ 948.025).
• Child enticement (§ 948.07).
• Sexual exploitation of a child, possession of child pornography (§§ 948.05, 948.12).
• Failure to register — separate felony for any registrant who misses a reporting requirement.

What makes these cases different

• The stakes beyond prison. Conviction triggers lifetime sex-offender registration under Wis. Stat. ch. 301.45 for most offenses. Registration governs where you live, where you work, 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.

Defense strategies

Rigorous factual investigation

We reconstruct the timeline independently — phone records, location data, texts, social media, witnesses police never interviewed. The State builds its case around what the complainant says; we test it against what the evidence shows.

Consent and credibility

Wisconsin's rape shield statute (§ 972.11) limits what can be introduced about the complainant — but there are exceptions. Knowing how and when to invoke them, and how to cross-examine within them, is its own skill.

Forensic evidence challenges

DNA, SANE-nurse examination results, and digital forensics are not self-proving. Collection errors, chain-of-custody gaps, and the gap between "consistent with" and "proof of" are all fair targets.

Miranda and interrogation challenges

Many convictions start with a police interview taken before the client knew they needed a lawyer. We scrutinize every interrogation for Miranda compliance, coercion, and voluntariness.

Expert witnesses

False-memory research, suggestibility of child interviews, delayed disclosure, forensic-testing science — the right defense expert, engaged early, changes how a jury hears the case.

Consequences you need to understand before any plea

• Mandatory sex-offender registration (often lifetime).
• Residency restrictions that can prevent you from returning to 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.

If you are under investigation — not yet charged

The pre-charge window is the most important window in any sex-crime case. Police often ask for a "quick conversation," a polygraph, or a "pretext call" with the complainant. These are not neutral procedures — they are evidence-gathering for the State. Do not participate without counsel. Call us first.