United States v. Babcock, No. 13-3958 (6th Cir. 2014)
Annotate this CaseOfficers of the Internet Crimes Against Children task force, browsing Craigslist, saw Babcock’s ads in offering money for sex with someone of any age. An officer responded by e-mail, as 14-year-old “Amber.” Babcock steered the discussion toward sexual topics and arranged a meeting in Columbus, Ohio. He pled guilty to attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity, 18 U.S.C. 2422(b). Babcock had been the victim of physical and sexual abuse as a child, and claimed to have been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. His father was absent and his mother was a substance abuser. His criminal history began at age 12, with juvenile adjudications for breaking and entering, assault, theft, and burglary. He had 17 adult convictions, most related to narcotics, but had pleaded no contest to three counts of corruption of a minor, based on allegedly engaging in consensual sex with 14-to-15-year-old girls. He was convicted of providing a pornographic video to an eight-year-old and for failing to register or verify his address as required by his status as a sex offender. This history resulted in a Guidelines sentencing range of 120–150 months, but the probation office concluded that the repeat child sex offender enhancement of U.S.S.G. 4B1.5(a) should apply, which increased his range to 235–293 months. The court sentenced Babcock to 190 months’ imprisonment and a life term of supervised release. The Sixth Circuit affirmed.
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