In Phoenix, it’s critical to understand what is at stake if you’ve been charged with voyeurism.
Beyond the legal penalties are personally damaging ramifications such as reputation damage or employment termination. Your future and your freedom are at stake.
Obtaining qualified legal counsel who knows the intricacies involved with cases just like yours is essential and should not be delayed. For help with your criminal matter, contact Snader Law Group to schedule a free consultation.
Why You Should Work With Snader Law Group For Your Voyeurism Charge
Working with a seasoned and reputable legal team is crucial when facing criminal charges as serious as voyeurism. At Snader Law Group, our expertise and comprehensive knowledge of the law qualifies us to deal with all types of cases. Here’s why you should choose us:
Comprehensive Expertise
Choosing Snader Law Group for your voyeurism charge allows you to tap into our profound reservoir of experience and knowledge. We’ve honed our expertise over decades in the field, providing us – and by extension, our clients – with a strategic advantage.
Personalized Attention
We provide a level of personal attention you’ll find hard to come by in larger firms. Whenever you call Snader Law Group for advice or updates regarding your case, it is Howard Snader himself who will cater to your concerns personally and not an associate or paralegal.
Hard-Hitting Representation
Our clients frequently express appreciation for our aggressive but tactful legal strategies. Every case is unique, but no situation deters us from providing effective representation. We will dedicate ourselves to your case at each turn regardless of how complex it is.
With a Snader Law Group Phoenix voyeurism defense attorney by your side, you can be certain that you’re working with a firm that truly cares about you and your case.
How a Phoenix Voyeurism Defense Lawyer Can Help You Fight Voyeurism Charges
Choosing to work with legal counsel when facing voyeurism charges holds significant advantages. A Phoenix voyeurism defense lawyer can contribute to your case in the following key ways:
Explaining The Charges
Understanding the nature and implications of voyeurism charges is essential for individuals accused of such allegations. A Phoenix voyeurism defense attorney translates complicated legalese into more understandable terms, explaining your specific charges and potential legal consequences.
Carrying Out Investigations
Your Phoenix voyeurism defense lawyer will perform exhaustive investigations to gather evidence, consisting of everything from interviewing witnesses to scrutinizing police records associated with the charge.
Filing Motions to Suppress
Your Phoenix voyeurism defense lawyer is in the position to spot if your rights were infringed during investigations, when collecting evidence, or even during interrogation procedures. They can file a motion to suppress any illegally acquired evidence, which will help weaken the prosecutor’s case against you.
Representing You in Court
Having a Phoenix voyeurism defense attorney by your side guarantees you are professionally and competently represented in court should your case make it that far. From presenting evidence to cross-examining witnesses and making closing arguments, your Phoenix voyeurism defense lawyer will do whatever it takes to ensure you receive a fair trial.
Experienced counsel isn’t just helpful—it is invaluable. Always contact a Phoenix voyeurism defense lawyer as soon as possible after an arrest.
What is Voyeurism?
Voyeurism entails the invasion of another person’s privacy for your own sexual arousal. You commit this offense if you intentionally peep, spy, or surveil someone in situations where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy without their knowledge or consent.
The law also prohibits taking photographs or videos during these instances and publishing or distributing them.
“A. It is unlawful to knowingly invade the privacy of another person without the knowledge of the other person for the purpose of sexual stimulation.
- It is unlawful for a person to disclose, display, distribute or publish a photograph, videotape, film or digital recording that is made in violation of subsection A of this section without the consent or knowledge of the person depicted…”
Two common examples include secretly observing someone undressing and watching a couple engage in sexual intercourse by looking into their window.
Penalties For Voyeurism in Arizona
The penalties for voyeurism in Phoenix can be severe, reinforcing the gravity of this offense.
A violation under either subsection A or B of the relevant statute is classified as a Class 5 felony. This carries up to two years and six months in a state prison.
However, if circumstances make your charge even more serious and it is considered a “dangerous crime,” you could be looking at incarceration for up to four years.
Legal Defenses to Voyeurism
When facing voyeurism charges, there are legal defenses that can be used to contest the allegations:
No Reasonable Expectation of Privacy
If the alleged observation or recording occurred in a location where there wasn’t a reasonable expectation of privacy, such as public areas including parks or streets, it could be argued that your actions do not qualify as voyeurism under established law.
Not Done For Sexual Purposes
If you can provide convincing evidence that your motivations were far removed from being sexual — perhaps artistic portrayal or security measures — this can negate the necessary intent to classify your actions as voyeurism.
Evidence Unlawfully Obtained
Another valid defense would be arguing that your rights were violated in the process of obtaining evidence against you. If this is the case, your lawyer can file a motion to suppress, which would make that evidence inadmissible in court, meaning it can’t be used against you.
Errors in Evidence Processing
If there were significant errors made during the processing of evidence related to your charges, such as a broken chain of custody or improper handling techniques, you might be able to use this in your defense. Prosecutors must be able to demonstrate that all evidence was processed correctly.
Ultimately, the attorney you work with will be able to determine the most effective legal defense for your case.
Related Crimes
Crimes related to voyeurism share common elements of invading another’s privacy and potentially disseminating private images:
Unlawful Disclosure of Explicit Images (ARS 13-1425)
This crime occurs when someone deliberately discloses, displays, or publishes a depicted sexual act without the consent of the person shown in the image. It is done with the intent to harm, harass, intimidate, threaten, or coerce the depicted person:
“It is unlawful for a person to intentionally disclose an image of another person who is identifiable from the image itself or from information displayed in connection with the image if all of the following apply:
- The person in the image is depicted in a state of nudity or is engaged in specific sexual activities.
- The depicted person has a reasonable expectation of privacy. Evidence that a person has sent an image to another person using an electronic device does not, on its own, remove the person’s reasonable expectation of privacy for that image.
- The image is disclosed with the intent to harm, harass, intimidate, threaten or coerce the depicted person.”
Surreptitious Photographing (ARS 13-3019)
This crime involves knowingly photographing or filming another individual without their knowledge and explicit consent while they are engaged in a personal activity where they would have a reasonable expectation for privacy:
“ It is unlawful for any person to knowingly photograph, videotape, film, digitally record or by any other means secretly view, with or without a device, another person without that person’s consent under either of the following circumstances:
- In a restroom, bathroom, locker room, bedroom or other location where the person has a reasonable expectation of privacy and the person is urinating, defecating, dressing, undressing, nude or involved in sexual intercourse or sexual contact.
- In a manner that directly or indirectly captures or allows the viewing of the person’s genitalia, buttock or female breast, whether clothed or unclothed, that is not otherwise visible to the public.
- It is unlawful to disclose, display, distribute or publish a photograph, videotape, film or digital recording made in violation of subsection A of this section without the consent or knowledge of the person depicted.”
Extortion (ARS 13-1804)
Colloquially known as blackmail, extortion involves coercing someone into providing property or something else of value by threat to do future harm. This could occur in circumstances where a person has taken explicit images of another without their consent and then threatens to release them unless the victim complies with certain demands.
Contact Snader Law Group To Schedule a Free Consultation
Standing accused of voyeurism charges might be scary, but remember, you don’t have to face them alone.
When the stakes are high and every decision matters, you need experienced legal counsel on your side. At Snader Law Group, we provide solid defense strategies tailored uniquely for each client and will do everything it takes to make sure you have the best chance at a favorable outcome. Don’t hesitate; contact us today to schedule a free consultation with a voyeurism defense lawyer.