What is the aw regarding the age of consent?
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What is the aw regarding the age of consent?
My boyfriend is 17 and I am 19. Everything is consensual and his parents know how old I am. He lied to me about his age when we first got together. He is currently going to court for stealing his grandfather’s car and destroying the vehicle. When he told his probation officer how old I was, she reported me to CPS. Now I am nervous the state will press charges on me. What can I do?
Asked on August 1, 2016 under Criminal Law, Arizona
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 7 years ago | Contributor
If charges are brought, get a criminal defense attorney with experience in this field. In your state, the age of consent is 18; that means legally, he could not consent to sex and any sex with him would be considered sexual assault if you are 18 or over. If you were 18 (not 19), you'd fall in a "safe harbor" since he's not more than 2 years younger than you, but that exception to prosecution (an 18 year old with a 16 or 17 year old) does not apply to a 19 year old. Therefore, you have, by the letter of the law, committed a crime.
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