As Michigan sex crime defense attorneys, we know how rapidly nude photos can spread online. Unfortunately for New York Representative Anthony Weiner, he now knows of this phenomenon, too. For the last weeks, Weiner has been involved in an internet scandal involving him sending lewd photos of himself women from his Twitter account.
Other lawmakers in the United States House of Representatives called for Weiner’s resignation. Initially, Weiner said that he would not resign, but on Thursday, June 16, 2011, Weiner held a news conference where he stated, “I had hoped to be able to continue the work that the citizens of my district elected me to do—to fight for the middle class and those struggling to make it. But unfortunately, the distraction that I have created has made that impossible. So today I am announcing my resignation from Congress.”
People are categorizing Weiner’s sending of the lewd photos as sexting. Sexting is the sending of sexually explicit photos or messages using an electronic medium. Many times, sexting is accomplished using photo texting on phones such as the iPhone, Android, or Blackberry. However, sending sexually explicit images on Twitter is still included in the definition of sexting. In Michigan, prosecutors are cracking down on teenage sexting, because this can be a form of child pornography if the image is of someone under 18 years old.
If you are being investigated for sexting or any other Michigan or federal sex crime, now is the time to get help from a highly-skilled sex crime defense lawyer. Your attorney will help you navigate the court system, which can be intimidating and scary to some people.