Many people tend to lump together escorts and prostitution. Some may use the two words interchangeably. It, however, may be challenging to know where you stand in a legal sense if you offer these services, especially if you have a business spanning several jurisdictions.
Knowing what the law says will help you identify whether you committed a sex crime or not. Our Orange County criminal defense lawyer can explain these differences further in a free case evaluation. An escort offers companionship and is paid to spend time with their clients.
An escort may accompany their client to business affairs, dinner, entertainment venues, or just have a conversation. The laws in California allow escorts to offer their services at a fee. But the state requires escorts to apply for a license to be allowed to work legally in California. Therefore, providing escort services without a valid license is a crime. It is important to understand regulations about escort services to avoid legal problems in the future.
Escort services become a crime if an escort offers sexual services in return for compensation. Someone may ask whether it is illegal to engage in sexual acts with an escort during their personal time. But if law enforcement establishes that there is probable cause to believe that the escort was hired to engage in the sexual act at a different time, it becomes illegal.
The police may pursue the escort and the client if this is discovered. But such cases may be explained better on a case-by-case basis with a skilled Orange County sex crime attorney. Prostitution in California is illegal and is considered a sex crime.
