9th Circuit: Cell phones, internet, condoms implicate interstate commerce in enticement of minor to prostitution
U.S. v. Santos, No. 08-10406, 2009 WL 3748191 (9th Cir., Nov. 10, 2009)
“Deonte Santos was convicted of using a facility or means of interstate commerce to persuade, induce, and entice a minor to engage in unlawful sexual conduct . . . We review de novo a challenge to the sufficiency of evidence . . . Sufficient evidence supports the jury’s finding that Defendant’s actions affected interstate commerce. He used a cell phone whose service provider is T-Mobile, a business in interstate commerce, to recruit the minor, manage her prostitution, and arrange her travel from Los Angeles to Seattle. He made numerous interstate calls using this phone. He used America Online instant messaging to coax the minor to work for him as a prostitute . . . Finally, he provided the minor with Durex condoms, which are manufactured abroad and imported into the United States through ports in Los Angeles and Charleston, South Carolina.”
COMMENTS
