The detective says something about a conversation on a gaming platform you’ve never even heard of, and you’re standing there trying to place a name, a date, anything that makes this make sense. You didn’t send those messages. You don’t recognize the account they’re describing. But the words enticement and luring are already attached to your name, and no one seems interested in your confusion, only in what they think they already know.
Triple L Law PC understands how disorienting it is to face a charge that doesn’t match anything you actually did. If you are asking, “What does enticement of a child mean?” we can help you understand the charge and examine exactly what the State can and cannot prove against you.
How Are These Charges Different from Each Other?
Colorado law treats enticement, luring, and sexual exploitation of a child as three separate crimes, even though the words seem to get used interchangeably in real life. Here’s what they mean:
- Enticement—inviting a child somewhere private with the intent to commit sexual assault or unlawful sexual contact;
- Luring—using the Internet to describe explicit sexual conduct to a child and inviting them to meet in person;
- Exploitation—the production of or sharing of sexual videos or images involving a child.
Colorado prosecutors can charge someone with more than one of these crimes at the same time if the alleged conduct crosses more than one of these lines.
What Does Enticement of a Child Mean?
For the enticement of a child, the State has to prove three things:
- That you invited, persuaded, or tried to invite or persuade, a child under 15 years old;
- To meet somewhere private, like a car, secluded place, building, or a room; and
- With the intent to have unlawful sexual contact or sexually assault the young person when they meet.
Here’s the part that may surprise you: The child doesn’t have to show up. The child doesn’t even have to know they were invited. And nothing physical has to happen. What makes this a crime is the adult’s intent to commit the unlawful conduct.
What Does an Internet Luring Charge Require?
Internet luring also involves an adult talking with someone believed to be under 15, but it involves using technology or the internet to communicate with the child. If the adult describes explicit sexual conduct during their conversation and then asks to meet, for any reason, the State can charge luring. This requires an age gap of more than four years between the adult and the young person.
What Does Sexual Exploitation of a Child Mean?
Exploitation charges are based on one question: Did you create, knowingly possess, view, or share sexual pictures involving a child under age 18, or knowingly possess, view, or share that kind of material? The State has to prove you acted knowingly, not by accident, and that you knew what the material contained.
The difference with sexual exploitation is that you can create the images, have the young person create the images, and send them to you, or you can find them online and knowingly download or share them.
Why Doesn’t It Matter If an Undercover Investigator Was Involved?
Enticement, luring, and exploitation can all end up involving an undercover investigator instead of an actual child. The State can prosecute cases this way because its purpose is to protect children who would otherwise be in that position, and undercover investigators exist specifically to stand in for that potential victim.
What Can Make These Charges Even More Serious?
Whether your case ends up rising to the next applicable felony classification is based on specific factors the State has to prove, including:
- Enticement. It becomes more serious if you have a previous conviction for enticement or sexual assault on a child. The enhancement also applies when the enticement results in bodily injury to the child.
- Luring. It becomes more serious when the offense is committed with the intent to meet for the purpose of engaging in sexual exploitation or sexual contact. A separate, more serious classification applies when the intent is to meet for commercial sexual activity with a child.
- Exploitation. The consequences can become more serious if the possession offense is a second or subsequent offense, if the material is a video, motion picture, or other recording of moving visual images, or if there are more than 20 qualifying items. Separate sentencing consequences can also apply when the material depicts a child under 12 or involves other circumstances.
The language of a criminal charge can sound definitive, especially when any of these terms appear on a police report or charging document. But a charge is an allegation, not a finding of guilt. The prosecution must still prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Why Call Triple L Law About an Internet-Based Sex Crime Charge?
Triple L Law PC gives clients facing internet-based charges direct, ongoing access to their defense team through a secure client portal, letting them text, message, upload documents, and reach the firm without waiting for a callback. That access matters most in cases involving internet luring and enticement charges, where court-ordered restrictions on internet use can make clients feel cut off from the world at the exact moment they need answers fastest. A dedicated paralegal coordinates each case alongside the full attorney team, so no client has to explain their situation from scratch to someone new.
The firm’s membership in the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association reflects a defense practice built to stay closely connected to clients through every stage of a case that often isolates them.
Get the Specific Facts of Your Charge, Not the Headline Version
You do not have to face what your charge might mean for your future alone, and you do not have to guess at it from a news article or an arrest report. Our attorneys walk through the specific facts of your case and tell you plainly where you stand. Reach out to us today to schedule a confidential consultation.
Legal References Used to Inform This Page:
To ensure the accuracy and clarity of this page, we referenced official legal and other resources during the content development process:
- Enticement of a Child, Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-3-305.
- Unlawful Sexual Contact, Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-3-404.
- Sexual Assault, Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-3-402.
- Internet Luring of a Child, Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-3-306.
- Sexual Exploitation of a Child, Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-6-403.
