SORA Level Modification Petition

Result - Removed from the Sex Offender Registry

G.B.
Our client came to us in January of 2020 having been convicted of Rape in the Third Degree as a result of a consensual encounter in 1998. Because his job put him in a position of power, his points put him at a level 2 at his initial hearing. Our client spent more than 20 years rebuilding his life since his conviction. Although he admittedly said it was not easy, he started a business, raised a family, and remained married. He volunteered for several community organizations and established himself as a trustworthy person. Most importantly he remained crime free with no new arrests. Our firm not only wrote a substantial submission to the court about the law in his case, but we also told our client’s story. Without it, he is just another criminal. We were able to successfully tie our client’s situation to the factors which are known to be weighted most heavily. Our client’s level was reduced from 2 to 1, and because he had already been on the registry for more than 20 years, was removed entirely.

SORA Hearing

Result - Downward Departure

C.D.
We recently represented a client at a SORA hearing after he was released from federal prison where he had served approximately three years for possession of Child Pornography. While the scoring in these types of SORA cases is certainly outdated, he was scored for age of victim, number of victims, and relationship to the victims (stranger) placing him as a presumptive level two. King Law used previous court decisions from the New York State Court of Appeals which cautioned judges to be mindful that scoring in these cases can result in an over-assessment of risk. Most importantly we were able to prove that factors existed in our client’s case which were not taken into account by the guidelines or the scoring system. Ultimately, the judge granted a downward departure to level 1, meaning that our client’s picture, address, and more are do not appear on the public New York State Sex Offender Registry. This allows him to live a relatively normal life in the community.

SORA Level Modification Petition

Result - Removed from the Sex Offender Registry

A.D
In July 2021, King Law helped a man get his life back after 20 years of misery and frustration. Our client came to us after having been given a level 3 risk determination in 2001. He had served a term of imprisonment in New York State for a sex offense that occurred in 1992. This gentleman had worked very hard since his release to establish himself as a law-abiding citizen and a good family man. He had been married for more than 18 years and raised three children. Even as a level 3 sex offender he managed to start and maintain a successful home remodeling business. Our client put in the hard work and our firm went to bat for him. We created a multi-page submission to the Board and the Court complete with several exhibits. These included character reference letters, proof of his business success, and a personal statement. Our submission also included an updated risk assessment evaluation from a clinical professional assessing him “very low risk”, which carried significant weight in the Court’s decision. With all of this, we were able to tie our client’s life to all the factors that are generally relied upon in successful petitions. Additionally, we provided the Court with ammunition to grant a 3 to 1 reduction, noting previous cases similar to our client’s. Because this gentleman had been on the registry since January of 2001 and having no designation, the moment that this order was sent to the State, he was completely REMOVED from the registry.