New Jersey Lewdness Attorney

      New Jersey’s Lewdness laws are governed by N.J.S.A. 2C:14-4.  A lewdness conviction can result in Jail, Fines, a Criminal Record, and Unwanted Media Attention.  These cases are very fact dependent and often can stem from overblown and exaggerated claims.  Even so, these cases must be defended very carefully.  Call now for a free consultation with an Experienced NJ Lewdness Attorney.


Can I fight my Lewdness?

To properly defend your NJ Lewdness arrest, you must be intimately familiar with all aspects a such a case may take on; from disproving elements of the States case, to having evidence suppressed.   With over 40 Years Experience as a Judge, Prosecutor, and Criminal Defense Lawyer, the Attorneys of Avery & Avery know how to keep you out of trouble.  As Criminal Defense Lawyers, we have mastered the identification of flaws in the States case, and will work with you to either avoid a criminal conviction, or have the case thrown out completely.  


What are the Penalties?

The penalties for Lewdness offenses in NJ generally depend upon whether or not vulnerable individuals were nearby, namely children and those with mental handicap.

If there were children or handicapped individuals nearby:

  • 18 Months Prison
  • $10,000 Fine
  • Criminal Record

The penalties for being accused of Lewdness among anyone else can still expose you to:

  • Up to six months in Jail
  • $1,000 Fine


Frequently Asked Questions

I was charged with Lewdness, what will happen next?

The good news is that if the case is remaining in your town, that it is merely a disorderly persons charge.  If the charge is for a 4th degree offense the case will be refered to the county prosecutor and will be adjudicated at the Bergen County Court House in Hackensack or that the county where the alleged incident occurred. 

If your case is sent to Hackensack or your Countys Superior Court, it is all the more important to hire an attorney.  There would be criminal charges against you that may follow you for the rest of your life, or end you up in jail.  Luckily the defense lawyers of Avery & Avery have great success is having these charges ultimately downgraded and sent back to your local Municipal Court and afterwards working with them to further minimize the consequences or eliminate the charge altogether. 

I am under 18 years old, how does the NJ Lewdness law affect me?

Minors charged with lewdness will most often be instead adjudicated for juvenile delinquency.  Juvenile Delinquency can carry many of the same penalties as the predicate offense, but is generally far more lenient.  For more information about Juvenile Delinquency charges, please see here.  In addition, minors closer in age to a victim of lewdness who is also a minor and hence subject to stepped up scrutiny, may be given more leniency.

If they have caught me and there are no defenses, what can I do?

In some situations the police have caught the defendant dead to rights and there are no defenses.  In situations like these we have often been successful in downgrading the offense to a far lesser penalty and no jail time.  Another approach is to enter our client into a diversionary program such as Pre Trial Intervention (PTI)  or Conditional Discharge (CD).  These programs provide the benefit of no jail time and no criminal record.  We have been successful with combinations of the two as well when dealing with high level offenders.

I have been convicted for Lewdness before, how does this affect the case?

While there is no step up provision in the statute, a NJ court will likely count it as a prior and be more inclined to impose greater than the minimum penalties.  This could mean the difference between a possible 18 month sentence and walking free.  If you have been convicted before for this before, no matter the State, it is imperative you contact an Experienced NJ Criminal Defense Lawyer.

How does a Lewdness charge / conviction affect my immigration status?

The United States has very restrictive immigration laws, and a NJ Lewdness charge can have dire consequences, including possible deportation and inadmissibility back into the US.  

Lewdness charges can be very dangerous for non-citizens, as it may be considered both a crime involving moral turpitude and an aggravated felony.  The Department of Homeland Security is mandated to remove non-citizens who commit certain crimes, including aggravated felonies (crimes that involve more than 1 year in prison) and crimes of violence (crimes by their nature which involve a substantial risk that physical force against the person or property of another may be used).  Because of this it is even more urgent for Green Card holders, Visa holders, Permanent Residents, or non-citizens to be represented by a shoplifting defense lawyer, and fight the charges.  

If you have been charged with any criminal offense in NJ and are not a citizen, don’t risk immigration consequences.  Our lawyers have a near perfect success in protecting our clients from the immigration consequences of Lewdness charges.



© Avery & Avery, Esqs., 2012-2018 All rights reserved. Robert W. Avery, Esq., Avery & Avery, Esqs., www.averylaw-nj.com, drugcrimedefenselawyer-nj.com, trafficticketlawyer-nj.com, and criminaldefenselawyer-nj.com, own all intellectual property rights, including all copyrights, in and related to the content and top design of this site and the organization of the information contained in this site. Disclaimer: This website is made available by Robert W. Avery, Esq., and Avery & Avery, Esqs., to give you general information and a general understanding of the law, not to provide specific legal advice.  By using this website, you understand that there is no attorney client relationship between you and the website publisher.  Communication by you (via email, facsimile, or telephone) does not create an attorney client relationship, which can only be accomplished by a written retainer agreement between lawyer and client.  Our top priority is to provide all of our clients and those who search for us, whether for personal injury matters, general trial work, criminal arrests, drug and marijuana arrests, municipal court dui dwi drunk driving arrests and breathalyzer/alcotest refusal representation, or for estate planning, estate administration, powers or attorney, living wills, advance directives, or for their last will and testament, with the best representation and best defense available anywhere. Our primary practice is in the Bergen County, Hudson County, Passaic County, Morris County, Essex County, Sussex County and the North New Jersey region.