Lori Drew, who was convicted of creating messages on the social networking site MySpace and sending them to a 13 year-old girl who later committed suicide, will be sentenced today in Los Angeles for her role in a federal computer crime hoax that allegedly led to the death of Megan Meier. Drew, her13 year-old daughter and a business assistant created a fictitious profile of a boy who sent messages to Meier claiming to be in love with her. Drew and Ashley Gillis, the assistant who testified under a promise of immunity from prosecution, later “dumped” Meier, who committed suicide shortly afterward.

Drew faces up to three years in prison for Internet crimes for what amounts violating the MySpace terms of service agreement. Drew was not charged directly in Meier’s death. The judge in the case, George Wu, has said that he is reluctant to sentence Drew harshly under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act because it may set a dangerous precedent. Drew, who is from Missouri, was tried in Los Angeles because the MySpace servers used in the incident are in the Southern California area.

Federal criminal defense attorney Robert Michael Helfend can assist you if you’ve been arrested on federal charges related to Internet crimes or any other violation of federal law. Mr. Helfend practices criminal defense exclusively and has taken cases in Southern Californa for twenty-five years. Mr. Helfend has significant experience with both the federal district courts in Southern California as well as California’s state courts.

He has established himself with a reputation of defending his clients aggressively but fairly in court. Regardless of what you’ve been charged with, Mr. Helfend will not judge you. Instead, he will help you prepare a solid defense and work to get your charges reduced or dismissed.

Experience counts, which is why you should rely on a federal criminal defense attorney like Robert Helfend. Contact Robert Helfend today for a free consultation on your case.

Photo Credit: Jimwhimpey, via Flickr