A kidnapping conviction in Nevada carries severe penalties, including significant fines and potentially decades of incarceration. Prosecutors pursue accusations of this serious crime aggressively. If you find yourself facing a kidnapping charge, you deserve an experienced criminal defense attorney fighting in your corner — one who will make sure you know your rights and build the strongest possible defense on your behalf.
The legal team at Adras & Altig, Attorneys at Law, is proud to uphold the rule of law by providing excellent legal representation to each and every one of our clients. We take a collaborative approach when developing a defense strategy, so you benefit from our collective knowledge and experience. In every case, we ensure that our clients receive the individualized attention they deserve.
Contact Adras & Altig, Attorneys at Law, today to schedule a free, confidential consultation with an experienced kidnapping criminal defense lawyer. A member of our team is standing by to hear your story and make sure you know your full rights and options.
What Is Considered Kidnapping in Nevada?
Nevada law defines kidnapping as when someone “willfully seizes, confines, inveigles, entices, decoys, abducts, conceals, kidnaps or carries away a person by any means whatsoever with the intent to hold or detain” that person:
- To kill or inflict substantial bodily harm;
- To commit sexual assault;
- For extortion or robbery;
- To exact from relatives, friends, or any other person any money or valuable thing for the return or disposition of the kidnapped person; or
- To secretly imprison them within the state or convey them out of the state against their will.
Kidnapping also occurs when someone “leads, takes, entices, or carries away” a minor with the intent to:
- Keep, confine, or imprison the minor from their parents or lawful guardians;
- Force the minor into unlawful service; or
- Commit an illegal act upon the minor.
Legal Consequences of Kidnapping
Kidnapping is a felony in Nevada and a conviction results in serious legal consequences. State law categorizes kidnapping into first-degree and second-degree. A first-degree kidnapping (a category A felony) occurs when:
- The victim suffers substantial bodily harm during the kidnapping, subsequent confinement/detention, or when attempting to escape;
- The defendant intends to ransom or sexually assault the victim;
- The victim intends to extort the victim or their family and friends; or
- The victim is a minor.
Penalties for first-degree kidnapping in Nevada may include:
- If the victim suffered substantial bodily injury – Life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, life with the possibility of parole after 15 years, or 40 years with the possibility of parole after 15 years.
- If the victim is not injured – Life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after five years or a 15-year term with the possibility of parole after five years.
A second-degree kidnapping (a category B felony) occurs when the defendant:
- Secretly imprisons the victim within the state;
- Transports the victim out of the state against their will; or
- In any manner holds to service or detains another person against their will.
Penalties for second-degree kidnapping may include 2-15 years imprisonment and a fine not to exceed $15,000.
Whether first- or second-degree, aiding and abetting someone in a kidnapping carries similar consequences. In addition to the penalties described above, a kidnapping conviction can seriously impact your ability to obtain housing, secure employment, enroll in school, obtain certain licenses, and more.
