Sex Crime Attorney in Quincy

Criminal Defense for Sex Offense Charges Throughout Norfolk County

A sex crime charge in Massachusetts carries consequences that extend well beyond a potential prison sentence. Your reputation, your career, and your freedom are all at stake from the moment police make contact. At Flanagan & Associates, we represent people facing these charges throughout Quincy, Norfolk County, and the South Shore, and we know how much depends on the quality of the defense built in the earliest stages of the case.

Dave Flanagan has been practicing criminal defense since his admission to the Massachusetts Bar in 2003. If you’ve been contacted by police or charged with a sex offense, don’t wait to get legal counsel involved.

Contact Flanagan & Associates now at (781) 332-4344 for a free initial case review. We’re available 24/7 and can meet with you even if you can’t come to our office.

An Investigative Background Applied to Evidence Review

Sex crime cases are typically built on discovery-phase evidence: digital communications, forensic reports, recorded statements, and witness accounts. Before Dave Flanagan became an attorney, he worked as a private investigator and insurance claims adjuster. That background shapes how we approach every case. We analyze the evidence the prosecution intends to use with an eye toward how it was collected, what it actually shows, and where it can be challenged.

We prepare every case as if it will go to trial. That standard gives us negotiating leverage and helps us stay ready if the case moves to a courtroom. Since 2003, our firm has handled thousands of criminal matters, and that track record is reflected in our 9.7 “Superb” rating on Avvo and the Avvo Clients’ Choice Award.

Sex Crime Charges Under Massachusetts Law

Massachusetts sex offenses fall under two primary statutes. M.G.L. Chapter 265 covers rape, statutory rape, and indecent assault and battery, along with human trafficking for sexual servitude and the 2024 law criminalizing nonconsensual distribution of intimate images, which took effect September 18, 2024. Chapter 272 covers child pornography. Penalty exposure varies significantly by charge.

Indecent Assault & Battery
On a person 14 or older, this is a felony carrying up to five years in state prison. On a child under 14, the maximum increases to ten years.

Statutory Rape
Sexual intercourse with a person under 16 is a felony regardless of consent. Massachusetts has no close-in-age exception, and the age of consent is 16 regardless of the age gap between the parties. Conviction can carry up to life in state prison. Aggravated statutory rape, where there is a significant age difference, carries a mandatory minimum sentence.

Statute of Limitations
Massachusetts has eliminated the statute of limitations for indecent assault and battery on a child under 14. Charges can be filed years or decades after the alleged conduct, which is why early and thorough evidence review matters.

Sex Offender Registry Board Consequences

A conviction for a qualifying sex offense triggers mandatory registration with the Sex Offender Registry Board (SORB). SORB conducts an individualized risk assessment and assigns one of three classification levels: Level 1 (low risk, not publicly available), Level 2 (moderate risk, publicly accessible), and Level 3 (high risk, with active community notification). Registration periods and termination eligibility depend on classification, and not every registrant faces the same long-term obligations.

A SORB classification can be challenged through a hearing before the board. Understanding that process from the outset, not after sentencing, is part of the defense we build for clients.

Quincy District Court & Norfolk County Superior Court

Where your case is heard matters. Quincy District Court handles arraignments and misdemeanor-level criminal matters, serving Quincy, Weymouth, and several neighboring South Shore communities. When a felony sex crime case is indicted, it moves to Norfolk County Superior Court in Dedham for trial.

Dave Flanagan grew up in Quincy. He knows these courts, the local procedures, and the standards that shape how cases proceed in this jurisdiction. That familiarity isn’t incidental. It means we walk into hearings with context grounded in experience with Norfolk County courts.

Start Your Defense Before Charges Are Filed

Police contact doesn’t always lead to a formal charge immediately, and the window between that contact and an arraignment is often the most critical period in the entire case. Reaching out to a sex crime attorney in Quincy before charges are filed gives us the opportunity to engage early, preserve evidence, and begin addressing the case from the start.

We offer free initial case reviews and are available around the clock. If you can’t travel to our Weymouth office, we can come to you.

Call (781) 332-4344 to speak with our team today. There’s no cost to get started, and delaying can narrow your options.