Rape is a very serious felony crime in American society. A convicted rapist not only generally serves a jail sentence, but must spend the rest of his or her life labeled as a rapist, and must register as a sexual predator every time he or she moves. A convicted rapist must follow specific rules for visiting children in schools or at daycare, and may be required to expose him or herself as a rapist on job application forms. In short, a rape conviction can make a person’s life complicated, embarrassing, and lonely.
The only thing possibly more severe than a first rape conviction, is second rape conviction. According to the Chicago Sun Times, a 63-year-old convicted rapist found that out this week. Julius Anderson was released from jail four years ago after serving out his thirty-year sentence for robbery and sexual assault. After his release, Mr. Anderson moved into a halfway house on the West Side of Chicago in the 2100 block of West Warren. Just a few weeks after his initial release, Mr. Anderson was able to remove the monitoring device from his body, and left the halfway house without notifying anyone, and without permission. After he left, Mr. Anderson left a trail of sexual assaults, culminating in the rape of three women within one month.
This week, on Wednesday, Mr. Anderson pleaded guilty to charges related to the three sexual assaults. He was sentenced to another 75 years in prison. Under the Illinois Criminal Code, a second conviction for criminal sexual assault is a Class X felony punishable by 6-30, 30-60 or natural life mandatory imprisonment. A second or subsequent aggravated sexual assault conviction is also a Class X felony and is punishable by a term of natural life.
It may be a common misconception that only men are convicted on rape charges. A story from Chicago this week dispels any myth that Illinois criminal laws regarding sex crimes only apply to men. NBC Chicago reports that a 25-year-old woman from suburban Chicago was arrested this week on Tuesday for an attack against a 33-year-old man. Cierra Ross allegedly offered the man a ride when he was walking down the street in the 400 block of North Kingsbury on Tuesday morning. The man accepted the ride, and when he got into Ms. Ross’ vehicle, she forced him into the back seat with a gun. At that point, Ms. Ross allegedly forced the man to have sex with her friend, who was in the backseat of the car. The man pleaded with the women to stop, and was able to escape from the car with only his torso covered. A taxi assisted the man by driving him home. Ms. Ross and her friend allegedly stole cash from the man, as well as credit cards and his iPhone. Ms. Ross was charged with aggravated criminal sexual assault and armed robbery for her participation in the alleged rape and robbery. She is currently held in lieu of $75,000 bail.
As demonstrated by these two stories, rape charges and rape convictions are seriously prosecuted in Illinois, no matter the gender of the alleged rapist. If you have been charged with violating Illinois criminal laws, you should immediately speak to an experienced criminal defense attorney. Call the offices of Goldman & Associates today for a confidential consultation.