Boston Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog
Failing to Register as a sex offender pursuant to G.L. c.6, s. 178H can result in severe consequences to the individual that must register in accordance with the law. A strong and aggressive defense by an experienced Boston criminal defense lawyer is necessary when a complaint for failure to register is brought against a defendant.
The possibility of long sentences followed by lifetime community parole show how important it is to hire a Massachusetts criminal defense attorney to vigorously defend such cases rather than settle for plea opportunities made by the prosecutor. Cases such as Commonwealth v. Ramirez, 69 Mass. App.Ct. 9 (2007) and Commonwealth v. Bolling, 72 Mass. App. Ct. 618 (2008) show how important it is to have an experienced attorney present a strong defense on behalf of the client.
To prove that the defendant committed the offense of failing to register as a sex offender the Commonwealth must prove beyond a reasonable doubt each of the following four elements:
First: that the defendant either resided or intended to reside in Massachusetts or worked or intended to work in Massachusetts;
Second: that the defendant was previously convicted of the offense of that required him or her to register as a sex offender;
Third: that the defendant knew that he or she was required to register or verify registration data or notify of a change of address with the Sex Offender Registry Board; and
Fourth: that the defendant failed to register or failed to verify registration data or notify of a change of address or provided false information to the Sex Offender Registry Board.
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