A sex crime accusation in West Palm Beach can end a career, a marriage, and your freedom before a jury ever hears a word — often on the strength of one person’s statement and nothing else. That’s why the defense strategy matters so much. Meltzer & Bell is a 10-attorney team of former state prosecutors and public defenders with over 1,000 5-star reviews online, and we’ve spent decades on the other side of exactly the cases now being built against people like you. We know how these files are assembled because our attorneys once assembled them.
Charged or under investigation for a sex offense in Palm Beach County? Call (561) 557-8686 for a free, confidential consultation — we answer 24/7. Our former prosecutors have handled capital sexual offender cases, child pornography defenses, and sexual battery trials in the Judge Daniel T. K. Hurley Courthouse. The earlier we get involved — ideally before charges are filed — the more room we have to attack the case at its weakest point. Waiting rarely helps.
On This Page:
- What sex crime charges cover
- What you’re really facing
- Our defense method
- Defending false accusations
- Charges we handle
- Penalties and outcomes
- Sex offender registry
- Local court guide
- Our promise to you
- Frequently asked questions
Key Takeaways
- In Florida, sexual battery on a victim under 12 by an offender 18 or older is a capital felony under Fla. Stat. § 794.011. The degree of the charge — and the sentence — depends entirely on the ages of the people involved and whether force or a weapon was used.
- Florida sex offender registration is lifetime under Fla. Stat. § 943.0435. There is no “Tier 1/2/3” system here, and removal is only possible by petition after 25 years, the “Romeo and Juliet” mechanism, or a full pardon.
- Consent, the victim’s lack of chastity, and the accused’s honest belief about age are not defenses to lewd or lascivious offenses under Fla. Stat. § 800.04.
- Florida’s rape-shield law is Fla. Stat. § 794.022 — not “Rule 412,” which is the federal rule.
- Getting a lawyer involved during the investigation, before an arrest, gives the defense the most room to challenge the allegation. Free consultation: (561) 557-8686.
What Does a Sex Crimes Charge Actually Cover in Florida?
A “sex crime” in Florida is any offense in a group of statutes covering sexual battery, lewd or lascivious conduct, unlawful sexual activity with a minor, child pornography, and online solicitation — and each carries its own degree, penalty range, and registration consequence. That’s the part most people don’t realize until they’re in it: the label “sex crime” covers charges as different as a misdemeanor exposure count and a capital felony.
The stakes turn almost entirely on details that have nothing to do with guilt or innocence — the age of the accuser, the age of the accused, whether force was alleged, and how the allegation first surfaced. Two people accused of similar conduct can face wildly different exposure based on a single birthday.
Sexual battery is Florida’s legal term for what many states call rape — oral, anal, or vaginal penetration or union without consent, defined in Fla. Stat. § 794.011. It does not require a weapon or visible injury.
Our firm has defended the full range of these charges, from solicitation counts to capital sexual offender allegations. If you’re not sure which statute your case falls under, that uncertainty is exactly why the first call matters. We’ll read the charging document with you and tell you plainly what you’re facing.
What Are You Really Facing? The Consequences Behind a Sex Charge
A first-degree felony sex offense in Florida can carry up to 30 years in prison, and a capital sexual battery on a child under 12 exposes an adult defendant to life without parole. These are the harshest sentences in the state’s criminal code, and they come stacked with consequences that outlast any prison term.
Here’s what makes sex charges different from almost every other criminal case. The punishment doesn’t end at release.
The degree of the offense drives the sentence. Under Florida’s structure, a first-degree felony reaches 30 years (or life where the statute says so), a second-degree felony reaches 15 years, and a third-degree felony reaches 5 years. But those numbers are only the ceiling. Sentencing runs through Florida’s Criminal Punishment Code scoresheet, and many sex offenses add points that push the required minimum sentence far above zero.
Then comes the registry. Florida registration is a lifetime obligation for most sex offenses under Fla. Stat. § 943.0435, with in-person reregistration twice a year — four times a year for the most serious classifications. Registration brings residency restrictions, employment barriers, and public community notification.
And the collateral damage reaches further still. A conviction can trigger loss of professional licensing, and for non-citizens a sex offense is frequently a deportable and inadmissible ground under federal immigration law — our firm handles the immigration consequences of a conviction as part of the full picture. Careers, custody arrangements, and reputations all sit in the balance.
A first-degree felony carries up to 30 years; a capital sexual battery on a child under 12 exposes an adult defendant to life. This is the weight of the situation. The next section is about how we fight it.
If any of this describes what you’re staring down, don’t sit with it alone. Call (561) 557-8686 for a free, confidential consultation.
How Does Our Firm Defend Sex Crime Cases? The Meltzer & Bell Sex Crimes Allegation Reversal
Our defense method is called The Meltzer & Bell Sex Crimes Allegation Reversal, and it’s built to dismantle the state’s case before a single accusation reaches a jury. It works because our attorneys built cases like these as prosecutors and defended them as public defenders, so we know exactly where these files tend to crack.
Most sex cases rest on far less physical evidence than people assume. Often the entire prosecution turns on one person’s word and the way police documented it. That is a target, not an obstacle.
Step 1: Forensic Interview Protocol Audit
The way an allegation was first recorded frequently shapes everything that follows. Our former prosecutors know how child and adult forensic interviews are structured to produce corroborating statements, so we scrutinize every recorded interview for leading questions and protocol violations that many defense firms never catch. Lawrence Meltzer spent over four years as an Assistant State Attorney and Special Unit Prosecutor in Broward County; that insider view of how the state builds a file drives this audit.
Step 2: SANE Exam & DNA Chain Analysis
We bring in independent forensic review of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner findings and DNA handling, applying the same evidentiary standards our attorneys once used as prosecutors to spot contamination, mislabeling, or conclusions the science doesn’t actually support. A SANE exam is a medical-forensic examination conducted by a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner to document and collect evidence after an alleged assault. What that report says — and doesn’t say — often matters more than the accuser’s testimony.
Step 3: Pretextual Call & Recorded Statement Scrutiny
Police routinely use monitored “confrontation calls” — a pretextual call is a recorded phone call the accuser makes, coached by detectives, to bait the suspect into an incriminating statement. Our team has litigated these tactics from the prosecution side and knows precisely where they cross into coercion and how to move to suppress the results.
Step 4: Delayed Disclosure & Credibility Mapping
Drawing on the firm’s over 500 combined jury trials, we build a timeline-based credibility map that exposes inconsistencies in how and when the allegation was disclosed — long before the accuser ever takes the stand. Delayed disclosure isn’t automatically fatal to a case, but the story around it is often where the truth lives.
Step 5: Registry Consequence Mitigation
Because a conviction’s collateral damage often outweighs the sentence itself, we structure every plea negotiation and trial strategy around avoiding or minimizing registration whenever the law allows. Our firm includes a Board Certified Criminal Trial attorney whose work centers on preventing mandatory sentences and structuring outcomes that protect a client’s life after the case ends.
Call (561) 557-8686 to talk through how this method applies to the specific facts of your case. The consultation is free and completely confidential.
Can You Beat a False or Weak Sex Crime Accusation?
Yes — false and thinly supported allegations are challenged and defeated in Florida courts every day, and they demand a different playbook than a case backed by physical evidence. This is the section most firms skip, and it’s often the most important one for the accused.
Sex allegations arise in predictable pressure points: contested custody battles, breakups, business disputes, and misread interactions. That doesn’t mean every accuser is lying. It means motive, timing, and inconsistency have to be examined with care.
Our firm’s trial record includes exactly this kind of work. Paul Bernard, a Partner here, secured an acquittal for a client charged with stalking arising out of a business dispute after demonstrating the allegations were baseless. That’s the model — expose the gap between the accusation and the proof.
Florida’s rape-shield statute, Fla. Stat. § 794.022, limits what a defense can introduce about an accuser’s prior sexual history, and it has narrow exceptions. Knowing precisely where those lines fall — and building the record to use the exceptions the law does allow — is skilled work. It is not “Rule 412,” which is the federal counterpart; Florida’s protection lives in its own statute.
What most people miss: in a case built on testimony alone, the credibility map we build in Step 4 of our method can matter more than any lab result. When there’s no DNA to contest, the fight is the accuser’s story against itself — the sequence, the delay, the who-was-told-what, and the documented motive. That’s where a trial team with hundreds of jury trials behind it does its most decisive work.
If you believe you’ve been falsely accused, do not try to “explain it” to a detective. Call us first: (561) 557-8686.
What Types of Sex Crimes Do We Handle?
We defend the full range of Florida and federal sex offenses, from misdemeanor exposure counts to capital sexual battery and federal child pornography cases. Each charge has its own statute, its own defenses, and its own registration consequence.
Sexual Battery
Sexual battery under Fla. Stat. § 794.011 is Florida’s most serious category of sex offense. The degree turns on the ages involved and whether force or a weapon was used — from a second-degree felony for an adult victim with no physical force, up to a capital felony where the victim is under 12 and the offender is 18 or older. As a sexual battery attorney in West Palm Beach, we treat consent and the accuser’s credibility as the central battleground.
Lewd or Lascivious Offenses
Charges under Fla. Stat. § 800.04 cover lewd or lascivious battery, molestation, conduct, and exhibition involving victims under 16. Lewd or lascivious molestation by an adult on a child under 12 is a life felony. Consent, the victim’s lack of chastity, and the accused’s belief about the child’s age are all statutorily off the table as defenses — which makes attacking the reliability of the allegation itself all the more important. Our lewd or lascivious offenses defense team handles these cases regularly.
Statutory Cases and “Romeo and Juliet”
Unlawful sexual activity with a 16- or 17-year-old by an offender 24 or older is a second-degree felony under Fla. Stat. § 794.05. Florida’s “Romeo and Juliet” law, Fla. Stat. § 943.04354, can provide relief from registration in qualifying young-adult consensual cases. Whether it applies to your situation depends on specific age and conduct facts that we’ll review with you directly.
Child Pornography and Internet Sex Crimes
Possession, transmission, and production of child sexual abuse material are prosecuted aggressively at both the state and federal level. Our firm handles child pornography defense and transmitting child pornography cases. Under federal law, the 5-year mandatory minimum attaches to receipt or distribution under 18 U.S.C. § 2252 — simple possession carries no mandatory minimum. That distinction can be worth years. Whitney Duteau, our Board Certified Criminal Trial Attorney, negotiated a 5-year prison sentence for a client facing child pornography charges who scored over 100 years under the guidelines.
Online Solicitation and Prostitution
Computer solicitation of a minor is charged under Fla. Stat. § 847.0135, with “traveling to meet a minor” charged as a separate, higher-degree offense — a distinction that often decides these cases. We also defend solicitation of prostitution charges, including the sting-operation cases that generate so many arrests in South Florida.
Juveniles accused of sex offenses face a different system with its own consequences; our juvenile crime defense team handles those matters, and federal charges route through our federal defense practice.
Penalties and Outcomes: What the Numbers Look Like
Florida sentences sex offenses by degree, and the difference between a second-degree and a first-degree felony can be 15 years of a person’s life. The table below shows how the charge classification maps to statutory maximums and registration.
| Offense | Statute | Classification | Statutory Maximum | Registration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sexual battery, adult victim, no force | Fla. Stat. § 794.011 | 2nd-degree felony | Up to 15 years | Lifetime |
| Sexual battery, victim 12–18 by adult, no force | Fla. Stat. § 794.011 | 1st-degree felony | Up to 30 years | Lifetime |
| Sexual battery, victim under 12, offender 18+ | Fla. Stat. § 794.011 | Capital felony | Life without parole | Lifetime |
| Lewd/lascivious molestation, victim under 12, offender 18+ | Fla. Stat. § 800.04 | Life felony | Life | Lifetime |
| Lewd/lascivious battery (sex with 12–16-year-old) | Fla. Stat. § 800.04 | 2nd-degree felony | Up to 15 years | Lifetime |
| Unlawful activity with 16/17-year-old, offender 24+ | Fla. Stat. § 794.05 | 2nd-degree felony | Up to 15 years | Lifetime |
A statutory maximum is not a prediction. It’s the ceiling. Where a case actually lands depends on the scoresheet, the strength of the evidence, and the defense work done long before sentencing.
Key insight: the single most valuable outcome in many sex cases isn’t a shorter sentence — it’s a negotiated charge that keeps a client off the registry entirely. Because registration is lifetime under Florida law, a plea to a non-registrable offense can be worth more to a client’s future than shaving years off a prison term. That’s why registry consequence mitigation is built into every stage of our method, not tacked on at the end.
Not sure how these numbers apply to your charge? That’s what a free consultation is for. No pressure, no obligation — just straight answers.
Plea Negotiation vs. Trial: How the Paths Compare
Most criminal cases nationwide resolve by plea rather than trial, and sex cases are no exception — but the decision is highly individual, and it should never be made without a lawyer who has actually tried these cases to verdict. Here’s how the two paths generally compare.
| Factor | Negotiated Resolution | Trial |
|---|---|---|
| Control over outcome | Known, agreed result | Verdict rests with the jury |
| Registration exposure | May be negotiated to a non-registrable charge where facts allow | Registration follows conviction on a qualifying offense |
| Timeline | Often months | Frequently a year or more |
| Best when | Evidence is strong; goal is minimizing consequences | The state’s case is weak, contradictory, or built on one account |
| Firm role | Use weak counts to reduce or restructure charges | Impeach credibility and attack the evidence before a jury |
The point of our credibility mapping and suppression work is to strengthen your position on both paths at once. A case the state can’t confidently take to trial is also a case the state has reason to resolve favorably. Our goal is to attack the weakest counts first so that whichever path you choose, you’re negotiating from strength.
What Are Florida’s Sex Offender Registration Rules?
Florida sex offender registration is a lifetime obligation for most qualifying offenses under Fla. Stat. § 943.0435, with no tiered duration system and only narrow paths to removal. This is one of the most misunderstood parts of Florida sex crime law, so let’s be precise.
There is no “Tier 1, 2, or 3” in Florida — that’s California’s framework. In Florida, a qualifying conviction generally means registration for life. Removal is possible only by petition after 25 years with a clean record (and the most serious offenses are excluded), through the “Romeo and Juliet” mechanism in Fla. Stat. § 943.04354 for qualifying young-adult consensual cases, or by a full pardon.
How often does a registered person have to check in? Reregistration is done in person at least twice a year, and four times a year for the most serious classifications. Registration also brings residency restrictions near schools and other locations, plus public community notification through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement registry.
Is failing to register a separate crime? Yes. Failure to comply with registration requirements is charged as its own felony, independent of the underlying conviction. It’s one of the most common ways people already on the registry end up back in custody. Our firm handles both the underlying charges and registration-related matters.
Because these consequences are permanent, they shape strategy from day one. This is why our method treats keeping a client off the registry as a primary objective, not an afterthought.
Protecting Professionals and Restoring Reputation
For a teacher, doctor, nurse, or business owner, a sex charge threatens a license and a public reputation as much as it threatens liberty — and both need defending from the start. This is a gap most defense pages ignore entirely.
An arrest alone can trigger news coverage, licensing board inquiries, and lasting search-engine damage. Even when charges are later reduced or dropped, the digital footprint of the accusation can follow a person for years. Our firm addresses that through dedicated reputation management work and, where the law allows, record sealing and expungement once a case resolves in a way that qualifies.
Whether a particular record can be sealed or expunged depends on the specific disposition and offense — many sex offenses are statutorily ineligible for sealing. We’ll tell you honestly whether that relief is available in your case rather than promise something the statute doesn’t allow.
For licensed professionals, the sequence matters. Statements made to an employer or a licensing board early on can undercut the criminal defense. Coordinating those tracks from the beginning protects both your case and your career. If your livelihood depends on a license, mention that on your first call so we can build the strategy around it.
Defending in the 15th Judicial Circuit: A West Palm Beach Court Guide
All Palm Beach County felony sex crime cases are heard at the Judge Daniel T. K. Hurley Courthouse at 205 N. Dixie Highway in downtown West Palm Beach, the main courthouse of Florida’s 15th Judicial Circuit. Knowing how this circuit handles these cases is part of building a defense here.
Felony matters — which includes nearly every serious sex charge — run through the Main Courthouse, not the branch locations, which handle misdemeanor and traffic matters for their own areas. If your case involves an alleged offense in a city like Lake Worth Beach (officially renamed from “Lake Worth” in 2019), the arrest may have come from Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office District 14 deputies, since the city has no police department of its own.
Our attorneys appear in this circuit regularly and know its investigating agencies, from local departments to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Arrests tied to Palm Beach International Airport carry their own procedural wrinkles; our firm handles airport arrest cases as well.
Ari Goldberg, a shareholder here and former Assistant State Attorney in Palm Beach County, prosecuted hundreds of cases in this circuit before joining the defense side. That familiarity with how the local State Attorney’s Office charges and negotiates sex cases is something you can’t get from a firm that only files paperwork here.
Court deadlines move quickly, and evidence fades. Surveillance footage gets overwritten, witnesses’ memories drift, and the state builds its file while you wait. The sooner we begin, the stronger the strategy we can build. Call (561) 557-8686.
Meet Your Sex Crimes Defense Team
Sex crime cases demand attorneys who have tried serious felonies to verdict and who understand how the state assembles these prosecutions. Our roster combines former prosecutors and former public defenders with over 143 years of combined experience.
- Steven Bell — Shareholder. A former Broward County public defender who rose to Felony Public Defender and head of the Juvenile Division, with over 20 years of criminal defense experience defending thousands of clients across Florida.
- Lawrence Meltzer — Shareholder. A former Assistant State Attorney and Special Unit Prosecutor in Broward County who brings insider knowledge of prosecution strategy to the defense of serious felony cases.
- Ari Goldberg — Shareholder. A former Palm Beach County Assistant State Attorney who prosecuted hundreds of cases in the 15th Judicial Circuit before moving to the defense of complex felony matters.
- Whitney Duteau — Partner. Board Certified in Criminal Trial Law by the Florida Bar (2025), with over a decade of exclusive criminal defense work focused on preventing mandatory sentences and securing favorable outcomes in serious felony cases.
- Paul Bernard — Partner. A former public defender known for challenging prosecution evidence in sex offense and violent crime cases, with acquittals including a stalking case dismissed as baseless.
Our full team includes 10 attorneys, several with additional experience relevant to these cases; you can read every attorney’s background on our criminal defense team page.
The Firm Promise
When you hire us, three commitments hold from the first call to the last hearing.
First, a real lawyer reviews your situation — not an intake screener reading from a script. We answer the phone 24/7 because sex crime investigations don’t keep business hours, and the first 48 hours often matter most.
Second, you’ll know who is handling your case and how to reach them. You won’t be passed between strangers or left guessing about what’s happening.
Third, fees are discussed openly and in writing during your consultation. Many matters are handled on a flat fee so you know the cost upfront, and we offer payment plans where appropriate. Worried about cost? The first consultation is free — we’ll talk through your situation and the fee structure on that first call. Going without a lawyer on a charge this serious is rarely the cheaper path in the end.
The information on this page is for general informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Every case is unique, and past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Contact a qualified attorney to discuss your specific situation.
Talk to a West Palm Beach Sex Crimes Lawyer Today
A sex charge in Palm Beach County puts your freedom, your name, and your future on the line — and the state is already building its case. Call Meltzer & Bell at (561) 557-8686 for a free, confidential consultation. We answer 24/7. With over 1,000 5-star reviews online and a team of former prosecutors and public defenders, we serve clients throughout Palm Beach, Broward, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, and Miami-Dade counties. The sooner you call, the more we can do — evidence and memories fade, and deadlines don’t wait.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a sex crimes attorney cost in West Palm Beach?
Cost depends on the charge, its complexity, and whether the case resolves by negotiation or goes to trial. Many matters are handled on a flat fee so you know the total upfront, and we offer payment plans where appropriate. Your first consultation is free and confidential — we’ll discuss both your situation and the fee structure on that first call. Call (561) 557-8686.
Will I go to jail for a sex crime conviction in Florida?
It depends heavily on the charge’s degree and the facts. A first-degree felony sex offense carries up to 30 years, and capital sexual battery on a child under 12 by an adult exposes a defendant to life. But the statutory maximum is a ceiling, not a prediction — the actual outcome turns on the evidence, the scoresheet, and the defense work done before sentencing. Early intervention gives you the most options.
Do I have to register as a sex offender if convicted?
For most qualifying sex offenses in Florida, registration is a lifetime obligation under Fla. Stat. § 943.0435 — there is no tiered, time-limited system like some other states have. Removal is only possible by petition after 25 years with a clean record (excluded for the most serious offenses), the “Romeo and Juliet” mechanism, or a full pardon. Avoiding a registrable conviction is often our top strategic priority.
Can a sex crime charge be dropped or reduced before trial?
Charges are challenged and reduced before trial regularly, especially when the evidence is weak or was gathered improperly. Our method attacks the case early — auditing forensic interviews, scrutinizing pretextual calls, and mapping credibility gaps — to eliminate weak counts before they reach a jury. Whether that’s possible in your case depends on the specific facts, which we’ll review for free.
What should I do if I’m falsely accused of a sex crime?
Do not try to explain yourself to detectives or contact the accuser — both routinely make things worse, and pretextual calls are designed to trap you. Say nothing beyond asking for a lawyer, then call us. False allegations often arise in custody disputes, breakups, and business conflicts, and exposing the motive and inconsistencies is exactly the defense work we do.
What is the difference between sexual battery and lewd or lascivious offenses in Florida?
Sexual battery under Fla. Stat. § 794.011 involves non-consensual penetration or union and is graded by the ages involved and whether force was used. Lewd or lascivious offenses under Fla. Stat. § 800.04 cover conduct like molestation and battery involving victims under 16, where consent, the victim’s chastity, and the accused’s belief about age are not defenses. The applicable statute drives both penalty and defense strategy.
Should I talk to the police if they want to ask me questions about a sex allegation?
No — not without a lawyer present. Police often invite “just a conversation” or arrange a recorded pretextual call specifically to gather admissions before an arrest. You have the right to remain silent and the right to counsel; exercising both protects you. Call a sex crimes lawyer before any contact with investigators.
How long do sex crime cases take to resolve in Palm Beach County?
A negotiated resolution can take several months, while a case that goes to trial often takes a year or more. The timeline runs largely the same whether or not you have a lawyer — the difference is the outcome you reach at the end. Complex cases with forensic evidence or federal exposure generally take longer.
Do federal sex crime charges work differently than Florida charges?
Yes. Federal cases, often involving child pornography or online solicitation, carry their own mandatory minimums — for example, the 5-year minimum under 18 U.S.C. § 2252 attaches to receipt or distribution, not simple possession. Federal registration flows from SORNA. Our firm handles both state and federal sex offense defense; the strategy differs significantly between the two systems.
Can a sex crime record ever be sealed or expunged in Florida?
It depends entirely on the disposition and the offense — many sex offenses are statutorily ineligible for sealing or expungement, even after a favorable outcome. Where relief is available, we pursue it, and we handle reputation-management work to address the lasting public and online impact of an accusation. We’ll tell you honestly whether sealing is possible in your specific case.
Is consent a defense to a statutory sex charge in Florida?
No. For offenses under Fla. Stat. § 800.04 involving victims under 16, the victim’s consent, the victim’s lack of chastity, and the accused’s honest belief about the victim’s age are all statutorily excluded as defenses. That’s why defenses in these cases focus on the reliability of the allegation, the evidence, and how the case was investigated rather than on consent.
