United States v. Sheldon, No. 12-30324 (9th Cir. 2013)
Annotate this CaseDefendant appealed the jury verdict finding him guilty of sexual exploitation of a child in violation of 18 U.S.C. 2251(a) and knowingly receiving child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. 2252A(a)(2). The court concluded that section 2251(a) did not require that the defendant have knowledge that the materials used to produce child pornography had traveled in interstate commerce; the district court did not abuse its discretion in admitting at trial defendant's prior conviction for possession of child pornography; and a rational jury could conclude that the videos introduced at trial depicted sexually explicit conduct. Accordingly, the court affirmed the judgment.
Court Description: Criminal Law. Affirming a conviction for sexual exploitation of a child and knowingly receiving child pornography, the panel held that 18 U.S.C. § 2251(a) does not require the government to prove that the defendant had knowledge that the materials used to produce child pornography had traveled in interstate commerce. The panel held that the district court did not abuse its discretion in admitting the defendant’s prior conviction for possession of child pornography and that a rational jury could conclude that the videos introduced at trial depicted sexually explicit conduct.
The court issued a subsequent related opinion or order on April 9, 2014.
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