Questions about Pimping Laws

A pimp is a person in charge of finding "dates" for prostitutes for a percentage of the prostitute's earnings. Generally, the portion of money that the pimp receives is for providing protection and/or being an agent for the prostitute. Many pimps control their prostitutes by way of abuse, rape, starvation, and threats. The legal name for a pimp is procurer. Take a look at a few of the more popular questions about pimps hat have been answered by Experts.

Does the sender of a text message need to be present in court to authenticate the text? The text was about a pimp setting up a date for his prostitute.

Usually, if the prosecution has sufficient evidence that the texts are in fact a pimp setting up a date for one of his prostitutes, there would be no need to have anyone in court to authenticate the texts. Many of the texts will probably not be allowed due to hear say, however if the texts give a direct meaning to an illegal act, they can be presented as evidence in a case. For example, if a text states that there is a set dollar amount to date Marcia for sex, this is an indication of an illegal act to solicit prostitution and can be used as evidence. However, it a text simply states that an escort charges a set dollar amount to go on a date, there wouldn't be enough sufficient evidence to warrant the text as evidence.

My brother was accused of pimping during a police sting. The girls that were arrested for prostitution stated that my brother had nothing to do with it. If the girls don't come to my brother's trial, will this hurt his case?

Your brother's attorney will need to ask the court for a body attachment in order to get the girls to show. Their testimony is needed to help your brother's case. If your brother is planning on using the girls as witnesses to his defense, he will need to be the one to guarantee they appear. Without the girl's testimony, there is nothing other than the police reports that can be used and anything that your brother would say pertaining to the girl's testimony would be considered hearsay and wouldn't be allowed as evidence. Your brother should attempt to talk to the girls and explain the need for their cooperation in this case.

Can someone be convicted for pimping without testimony from the victim. The woman stated that the man was not her pimp but cannot be found to be subpoenaed to court.

This will depend on the DA and what evidence they have against the man already. They may not need the woman's statement to convict. Especially if there is proof that the man convinced the woman to leave town in order to avoid testifying against him. If the woman made any statements before she left town, and there is proof that the man coerced her into leaving town, those statements can be used in court.

Many times, circumstantial evidence is enough to convict someone. This person's attorney will have to look at the evidence against him to determine how strong the state's case is against him.

I am a victim in a pimping case. I want the man to go to jail but I don't want to go to trial and testify against him. Will he go to jail without my testimony? The prosecution has text and Face Book messages. Will my testimony be needed to convict him?

The prosecutor may need you to testify in order to validate the text messages. These texts may not be allowed as evidence without someone there to verify their authenticity. Usually, there needs to be a solid foundation laid in order to convince the jury of the evidence presented. It may be possible that the police can do this without you, but it would help the case greatly if you were there to testify.

Many of these cases never make it to trial due to lack of evidence. To help bring this case to trial, you may want to consider working with the prosecutor. It will probably be several months before the case goes to trial but if you back out now, it may end in a plea agreement and be done with. At this point, if you are the complainant, your testimony may be critical to the case. Without it, it's possible that the case will be thrown out.

In a jury trial, if the DA can prove that the defendant knows 2 girls who are prostitutes, but can't prove the man is pimping them, can the court still find him guilty? If nothing is proven, does the judge order the jury to find him not guilty?

Generally, in a jury trial, it will be the decision of the jury to determine the person's guilt. A judge very seldom takes the decision of a verdict from the jury. The DA will have to prove his/her case beyond a reasonable doubt; however, without knowing the case, it is hard to say how the case will be presented. If the person is found guilty, his lawyer can try to appeal the case.

Pimping, in many areas is illegal. If you have legal questions about pimping and pimping laws, you should contact an Expert who is familiar with this subject.