Blog: Sex Crime
- Priest or Pastor Accused of Sexual Abuse: What Happens Next?
Oct 27, 2026
If you are a priest or pastor accused of sexual abuse, you may be facing questions about your ministry, reputation, family, legal rights, and future before you know whether criminal charges will be filed. The same concerns can arise for ministers, rabbis, imams, deacons, religious educators, and other religious leaders facing similar allegations. You may have been called into a private meeting and told that a current or former congregant made an accusation. Police detectives...Read More about Priest or Pastor Accused of Sexual Abuse: What Happens Next? - Can Sexual Messages With a Minor Lead to Federal Charges?
Sep 29, 2026
Yes. Exchanging sexual messages with someone who said they were under 18 can lead to a federal investigation and, depending on what the messages were intended to accomplish, criminal charges. Federal charges are also possible when the person on the other end was an undercover officer posing as a teenager, and no actual minor was involved. That does not mean every sexual conversation establishes federal online enticement. Prosecutors must prove the elements of a specific...Read More about Can Sexual Messages With a Minor Lead to Federal Charges? - Can You Be Under Investigation for Child Pornography Without Being Arrested?
Jul 24, 2026
Yes. A child pornography investigation can be underway even if you have not been arrested, charged, or formally told that you are a suspect. Perhaps detectives or federal agents came to your Philadelphia home and asked about an online account. They may have taken a phone, computer, hard drive, or other electronic device under a search warrant. Maybe investigators contacted someone in your household, asked you to schedule an interview, or left without explaining what...Read More about Can You Be Under Investigation for Child Pornography Without Being Arrested?