United States v. Eason, No. 16-2756 (7th Cir. 2017)
Annotate this CaseThe Easons' children were removed from their custody. One child, at the age of 10 months, had multiple leg fractures that the Easons could not explain. A social worker found that the Easons had also neglected their second child and kept their home in an unfit condition for raising children. Their parental rights were permanently terminated. The Easons then used Internet chatrooms, falsely representing to adoptive parents who could no longer care for their adopted children that the Easons were authorized to provide foster care to children. They produced a forged home study. The Easons obtained custody of K.R., age seven, who had emotional problems, and A.B., age 13, who had behavioral disorders. The children were moved from California and Texas to the Easons’ Illinois home, where the Easons abused them and groomed them for sexual abuse. The adoptive parents, having grown suspicious, asked the Easons to return their children; they complied. Calvin Eason pleaded guilty to and Nicole was convicted of kidnapping, 18 U.S.C. 1201, and of transporting a child across state lines intending that the child engage in sexual activity, 18 U.S.C. 2423(a). The Seventh Circuit affirmed, rejecting an argument that the children were the victims of the alleged kidnapping and were not “inveigled.” The statute provides that “whoever unlawfully … inveigles … and holds for ransom or reward or otherwise any person … willfully transported in interstate or foreign commerce,” is guilty of kidnapping.
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