Farmer’s Market Shop Owner Faces Charges For Solicitation Of Minors
Today, we see the progress the labor movement in the United States made over the 20th century going in reverse. Fewer jobs offer pensions, employer-provided retirement savings, long-term employment contracts, and other signs of permanence and stability than they did a generation ago. Wages have barely increased even as the prices of most consumer goods have skyrocketed. The gig economy used to be a subject of young people’s daydreams. If you had a full-time job and supplemented your income with gig work on your days off, you could high five your buddies who worked gigs round the clock to make a living; none of you got rich, but you all earned enough money to feel like you were being productive and contributing to society. Today, you are lucky to find any gigs at all that don’t involve driving for eight hours to buy a Pokémon card in the hopes of reselling it at a markup. One lasting gain of the labor movement has been protections for the youngest workers. In the 19th century, children whose ages had not reached the double digits used to work long hours in factories instead of going to school. Today, teens old enough to be in high school can hold paid employment, but the hours they can work are limited, and they tend to work in sectors where they are safe from the worst mistreatment that workers might experience. One would think that an ice cream shop in a farmer’s market would be an ideal teen job, but two teens who worked there allege that their boss abused them so badly that he is now facing felony charges. If you are facing criminal charges for sexual harassment in the workplace, contact a Pittsburgh sex crime lawyer.
Solicitation Is Not Only on the Internet
When we hear about solicitation of minors these days, it usually takes place online. If you have minor children, you probably worry about them communicating online with adults who have ulterior motives, and you probably set rules about the use of devices so that you can reduce this risk. Likewise, you probably hesitate to flirt online with anyone you have not met in person, because of the risk that the person might be younger than he or she claims to be. Whether it happens in person or online, you can face charges for solicitation of a minor if you request sexual contact with a person that you reasonably believe to be younger than 18.
In the News
Joseph Grossman, the former owner of Poppy’s Peanuts in the Quakerstown Farmers Market, is facing charges for online solicitation. Two 17-year-old girls who used to work for him claim that he repeatedly touched their legs and backs without their consent and that he offered them money and cannabis in exchange for sexual favors.
Contact Gary E. Gerson About Criminal Defense Cases
A criminal defense lawyer can help you if you are facing criminal charges for soliciting commercial sex. Contact the law offices of Gary E. Gerson in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania about your case.
Source:
cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/joseph-grossman-quakertown-farmers-market-shop-corrupting-minors/?intcid=CNR-02-0623
