McMahon Law Offices
Charged with a sex crime in DuPage County? A former prosecutor and retired judge provide aggressive criminal defense against every sex crime charge heard in the 18th Judicial Circuit.
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"Sex crime accusations carry consequences that begin before you ever set foot in a courtroom. The accusation alone can cost you your career, your housing, and your reputation. The defense needs to start immediately."
— Mike McMahon, Former DuPage County ProsecutorSex Crimes Defense Overview
A sex crime charge in DuPage County carries some of the most severe consequences in Illinois criminal law. A conviction can mean years or decades in prison, mandatory registration as a sex offender, lifetime residency and employment restrictions, and a permanent criminal record that eliminates opportunities in most professional fields.
McMahon Law Offices provides defense against every category of sex crime charged in DuPage County Circuit Court. Mike McMahon prosecuted these cases for the state. He knows how prosecutors build sexual assault and abuse cases, what evidence they rely on, how they handle complaining witnesses, and where those cases are most vulnerable to challenge. Judge Pierce presided over sex crime trials in the 18th Judicial Circuit and knows what arguments succeed with the judges currently on the bench.
Sex crime cases are often built almost entirely on the testimony of a single witness, without physical evidence or corroboration. Allegations are frequently driven by relationship disputes, custody conflicts, or misidentification. Many charges arise from accusations made months or years after the alleged incident, when physical evidence is unavailable and timelines are impossible to verify.
We challenge the credibility of accusers, expose prior false allegations, retain forensic experts where evidence is contested, file suppression motions where statements were improperly obtained, and build the factual record needed to take a case to trial or pursue reduction when the evidence does not support the charged offense.
Illinois Sex Crime Charges
| Charge | Classification | |
|---|---|---|
Criminal Sexual Assault Sexual penetration by force or threat of force, or where the victim was unable to consent. Includes charges involving defendants in positions of authority. No prior conviction required for registration. 720 ILCS 5/11-1.20 |
Class 1 Felony | |
Aggravated Criminal Sexual Assault Criminal sexual assault involving a weapon, bodily harm, a victim under 9 years of age, or other aggravating factors. Among the most severely prosecuted charges in Illinois with mandatory prison terms. 720 ILCS 5/11-1.30 |
Class X Felony | |
Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault of a Child Sexual penetration or contact with a victim under 13 years of age by a defendant 17 or older. Non-probationable with mandatory consecutive sentencing in many circumstances. 720 ILCS 5/11-1.40 |
Class X Felony | |
Criminal Sexual Abuse Sexual conduct by force or threat, or with a victim who is unable to give knowing consent. Also charged where the victim is between 13 and 17 and the defendant is less than 5 years older. 720 ILCS 5/11-1.50 |
Class A Misdemeanor to Class 4 Felony | |
Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse Criminal sexual abuse involving a weapon, bodily harm, a victim under 13, or a defendant in a position of trust or authority. Triggers mandatory sex offender registration on conviction. 720 ILCS 5/11-1.60 |
Class 2 Felony | |
Possession of Child Pornography Knowingly possessing any film, photograph, or digital depiction of a minor engaged in sexual conduct. Each image or file can be charged as a separate count, with each count carrying mandatory registration. 720 ILCS 5/11-20.1 |
Class 3 Felony to Class X Felony | |
Grooming Using electronic communications to solicit a child under 17 to engage in sexual conduct or produce sexual images. Frequently charged alongside other sex offenses arising from online contact. 720 ILCS 5/11-25 |
Class 4 Felony | |
Indecent Solicitation of a Child Soliciting a child under 17 to perform sexual acts, or arranging a meeting for that purpose. Often arises from undercover law enforcement operations using decoys. 720 ILCS 5/11-6 |
Class 4 Felony to Class 1 Felony | |
Failure to Register as Sex Offender Failure to register, re-register, or notify authorities of an address change as required under the Illinois Sex Offender Registration Act. Each missed registration deadline is a separate offense. 730 ILCS 150/3 |
Class 3 Felony to Class 2 Felony | |
Public Indecency Performing a sexual act or exposing genitals in a public place with lewd intent. A third or subsequent conviction requires sex offender registration under Illinois law. 720 ILCS 5/11-9 |
Class A Misdemeanor to Class 4 Felony | |
Sexual Exploitation of a Child Allowing, coercing, or causing a child under 17 to engage in sexual conduct for the gratification of another person present. Can be charged against parents, guardians, or other adults in a supervisory role. 720 ILCS 5/11-9.1 |
Class 4 Felony to Class 2 Felony | |
Traveling to Meet a Minor Traveling with intent to commit a sex offense against a minor following solicitation. Frequently the culminating charge in undercover internet sting operations conducted by Illinois law enforcement. 720 ILCS 5/11-26 |
Class 3 Felony |
Why McMahon Law Offices
A former state prosecutor and a retired DuPage County judge on your defense team.
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5-Star ReviewsMike McMahon prosecuted sex crime cases for the state. He knows how prosecutors present complaining witnesses, what evidence they rely on when physical evidence is absent, and where cases built primarily on testimony are most vulnerable to challenge at trial.
Sex crime cases are frequently built on the testimony of a single witness without corroborating physical evidence. We investigate the accuser's prior statements, motive to fabricate, prior false allegations, and inconsistencies in the timeline to build the factual record needed for a credible defense.
Cases involving alleged possession of prohibited material, online solicitation, or sting operations require careful analysis of how evidence was obtained, how devices were searched, and whether law enforcement followed required constitutional procedures. We retain forensic experts where the evidence is disputed.
Many sex crime prosecutions rely on statements made to law enforcement without proper Miranda warnings, or on evidence obtained through constitutionally defective searches. We review every aspect of how evidence and statements were secured and file suppression motions when the state violated your rights in obtaining them.
Judge Pierce presided over sex crime cases in the 18th Judicial Circuit for years. He knows every judge currently on the DuPage County bench, how they approach credibility determinations in these cases, and what arguments carry weight at both the trial and sentencing stages.
Sex offender registration in Illinois imposes lifetime restrictions on where you can live, work, and travel. We pursue every available avenue — dismissal, charge reduction, or trial — to protect you from registration requirements and the permanent consequences that follow a conviction on a registerable offense.
How To Get Started
A clear, straightforward process from your first call through resolution.
Do not make any statements to police beyond your identifying information. Sex crime investigations move fast — law enforcement may already have a warrant, have searched your devices, or be preparing charges. Every statement you make before retaining an attorney can be used against you. Call us before you talk to anyone.
Tell us what you are charged with, what contact you had with police, what devices were searched or seized, what the nature of the relationship with the accuser is, and what the timeline looks like. Everything you tell us is protected by attorney-client privilege.
We obtain police reports, review all forensic and digital evidence, investigate the accuser's credibility and prior statements, retain experts where the evidence is contested, and file suppression motions where constitutional violations occurred in securing evidence or statements.
Dismissal, charge reduction, or acquittal at trial. We pursue the strongest outcome the evidence allows while protecting your record, your freedom, and your ability to avoid sex offender registration at every stage of the case.
Your Sex Crimes Defense Team
A former prosecutor who built these cases and a retired judge who decided them.
Areas We Serve
We defend sex crime charges throughout DuPage County and neighboring Illinois counties.
2150 McDonald Dr Suite 1608
Oak Brook, IL 60523
Available for in-person case reviews upon request. We defend sex crime charges in all of DuPage County and neighboring counties throughout Illinois.
Do not make any statements to law enforcement beyond your identifying information. Sex crime investigations often produce far more damaging evidence from the defendant's own statements than from any physical evidence the state has. Invoke your right to remain silent and your right to an attorney clearly and immediately. Do not consent to any search of your devices, home, or vehicle. Contact us before you speak with anyone.
The Illinois Sex Offender Registration Act requires anyone convicted of a qualifying sex offense to register with local law enforcement within three days of sentencing. Registration imposes restrictions on where you can live, work, and travel. Most registerable offenses require lifetime registration. Failure to register is itself a felony. Registration is publicly searchable, permanently affects housing and employment options, and cannot be expunged. Avoiding a registerable conviction is one of the primary goals of sex crime defense.
Yes. Illinois law does not require corroboration of a complaining witness's testimony in sex crime prosecutions. A single witness's testimony, if believed by the jury, is legally sufficient to support a conviction. This makes the credibility of the complaining witness the central battleground in most sex crime trials. We investigate the accuser's prior statements, motive to fabricate, relationship with the defendant, and prior false allegations to build the record needed to challenge that credibility at trial.
Entrapment is the most commonly raised defense in sting cases. It requires showing that law enforcement induced you to commit an offense you would not have otherwise committed. Beyond entrapment, we examine how the operation was conducted, whether officers misrepresented material facts, and whether the communications were properly obtained. We also challenge the sufficiency of evidence of criminal intent, particularly in cases where no actual minor was involved and the conduct consisted entirely of communication with a law enforcement decoy.
Potentially. The Fourth Amendment requires law enforcement to obtain a warrant before searching a phone, computer, or other digital device in most circumstances. If a search warrant was obtained, we examine whether it was supported by sufficient probable cause and whether the search stayed within the scope of what the warrant authorized. If no warrant was obtained, we challenge whether any exception to the warrant requirement applies. Evidence obtained in violation of your Fourth Amendment rights can be suppressed — and suppression of digital evidence in a case built around that evidence can result in dismissal.
Criminal sexual assault requires sexual penetration, while criminal sexual abuse requires only sexual conduct — which includes any touching for sexual gratification. Sexual assault is a Class 1 felony with a sentencing range of 4 to 15 years. Sexual abuse ranges from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class 4 felony depending on the circumstances. Both trigger mandatory sex offender registration on conviction. The distinction between the two is often contested when the conduct alleged involves ambiguous physical contact, and the charge classification has significant consequences for sentencing and registration obligations.
An arrest record appears on Illinois criminal background checks immediately. Even without a conviction, an arrest for a sex crime can affect employment, professional licensing, housing applications, and custody proceedings. If charges are dismissed or you are acquitted, the arrest record can often be expunged. A conviction on a registerable offense cannot be expunged under Illinois law. Acting quickly to challenge the charges — and securing the best possible outcome before a conviction enters — is the most effective way to protect your record and your future.
Sex crime cases in DuPage County are among the most complex criminal matters in terms of timeline. Misdemeanor sex offense cases can resolve in 6 to 12 months. Felony cases — particularly those involving child victims, multiple counts, or digital evidence forensics — often take 18 to 36 months from charge to resolution. Cases that go to trial take longer. We give you a realistic timeline at your free consultation based on the specific charges, the volume of evidence, and the complexity of the defense being built.
Resources
Guides written to help you understand the charges, the process, and your options after a sex crime arrest in DuPage County.
Get Started
Submit a contact form or call us to schedule your free case review. Sex crime charges move fast, registration consequences are permanent, and statements made early in an investigation are nearly impossible to walk back. The sooner we are involved, the more we can do.
Your information is confidential and protected by attorney-client privilege. We will never share your information.
