Opinion ID: 2997112
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Propriety of the Indictment

Text: Johnson argues that the inclusion in his indictment of language stating that “he believed [Dena] to be a minor” contravenes Congress’s intent not to require that the defendant know the age of the minor for a violation of § 2251. Johnson claims that permitting the government to insert a knowledge requirement into the indictment would No. 03-2183 7 enable the executive branch to rewrite laws passed by 5 Congress—a violation of the separation of powers. We disagree. The government has added nothing to the indictment that is not required by the law of attempt. It is true that the commission of the completed offense under § 2251(a), which can be paraphrased for our purposes as the actual manufacture of child pornography, contains no requirement that the defendant know that the performer is a minor. See United States v. X-Citement Video, Inc., 513 U.S. 64, 76 n.5 (1994). But the same is not true where the offense is one of attempt to manufacture child pornography. The offense for which Johnson was charged was the attempt to manufacture child pornography, and, as discussed below, an attempt requires that the defendant believe that the intended performer is a minor. In general, the crime of attempt requires the specific intent to commit a crime and a substantial step towards the commission of that crime. United States v. Martinez-Garcia, 268 F.3d 460, 465-66 (7th Cir. 2000); United States v. Romero, 5 Johnson’s argument concerning the indictment language is somewhat confusing and difficult to follow. We consider Johnson’s argument, therefore, in two parts. We discuss first whether, under the law of attempt, a defendant can be convicted of an attempt to manufacture child pornography where commission of the completed offense would be impossible because the intended performer was not a minor. If the answer to this question is yes, the language at issue in the indictment would be permissible. We also address, in the context of the constitutionality of § 2251, whether the First Amendment prohibits the criminalization of an attempt to manufacture child pornography where there is no minor performer but only an adult posing as a minor. If the answer to this question is yes, Johnson’s actions would not be subject to prosecution regardless of the language of the indictment. 8 No. 03-2183 189 F.3d 576, 589 (7th Cir. 1999). This court has held that “§ 2251 clearly proscribes the attempt to manufacture child pornography.” See United States v. Raney, 342 F.3d 551, 561 (7th Cir. 2003). We have also noted “that when Congress utilizes a common law term or a legal term with an established meaning, the courts should apply the accepted definition absent a clear indication to the contrary.” United States v. Bailey, 734 F.2d 296, 303 (7th Cir. 1984) (citing Morissette v. United States, 342 U.S. 246, 263 (1952); United States v. Turley, 352 U.S. 407, 411 (1957)). Thus, we take Congress’s criminalization of an attempt to manufacture child pornography to mean that a defendant must have the specific intent to produce a sexually explicit visual depiction of a minor and must take a substantial step towards completing the offense. Because the defendant must have specific intent to manufacture child pornography, when a defendant’s attempt is foiled because the performer was not a minor (thus making commission of the offense impossible), but was instead an adult, the government must demonstrate that the defendant believed that the intended performer was a minor. Instructive here is the case where defendants plotted to kill an informant who turned out not to exist. Cf. United States v. Cotts, 14 F.3d 300, 307 (7th Cir. 1994). The defendant argued that there was no obstruction of justice because “planning to murder a nonexistent informant obstructs nothing.” This court held otherwise. “That Fernandez and his coplotters ultimately could not have murdered the fictitious informant does not diminish the sincerity of any efforts to accomplish that end. Futile attempts because of factual impossibility are attempts still the same.” Id. The same reasoning is applicable here. Because it was factually impossible for Johnson to complete the offense, he can only be subject to prosecution for an attempt to manuNo. 03-2183 9 facture child pornography. What distinguishes Johnson’s illegal act from a legal act is his belief that Dena was 14. If Johnson had not believed that Dena were a minor he could not be guilty of attempt to manufacture child pornography. It is not illegal for a person to produce non-obscene pornography using adult performers. See Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition, 535 U.S. 234, 240 (2002), Because, however, Johnson did believe that Dena was a minor, he is guilty of an attempt to manufacture child pornography. See United States v. Coffman, 94 F.3d 330, 333 (7th Cir. 1996) (“[I]f the attempt is merely thwarted, and if completed in accordance with the defendant’s understanding of the circumstances would have resulted in a crime, then the attempt is culpable even though it is certain that it would not have succeeded.”). It was necessary for the government to show Johnson’s belief that Dena was a minor. Therefore, it did not contravene the intent of Congress and thus violate the separation of powers for the government to include in the indictment a statement that he believed Dena was a minor.