Opinion ID: 3069413
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Age Difference Between Victim and Defendant

Text: Citing Estrada-Espinoza v. Mukasey, 546 F.3d 1147, 1152-53 (9th Cir. 2008), Rodriguez contends that “most states require a four-year age difference for conviction of a sexual assault of a child.” Appellant’s Brief at 15. This assertion is not supported by Estrada-Espinoza and is in fact incorrect. Almost every state has statutes defining multiple crimes of varying severity that would constitute “sexual abuse of a minor.” See generally “Statutory Rape: A Guide to State Laws and Reporting Requirements,” The Lewin Group, prepared for the Department of Health and Human Services, Dec. 15, 2004, at http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/08/sr/statelaws/report.pdf. In most states, sexual activity with a victim below a certain age is a crime regardless of the age of the defendant. Id. Above this minimum age, state laws vary widely based on the age of the victim, the age of the defendant, the age difference between the victim and the defendant, the type of sexual activity, and other factors. Id. Although a four-year age differential is included in the definition of “sexual abuse of a minor” under 18 U.S.C. § 2243 and in the Model Penal Code definition of “statutory rape,” this is not dispositive in light of the substantial disagreement between the various states. Rodriguez has not demonstrated that the three-year age difference included in Texas Penal Code § 22011(a)(2) renders it broader than the generic definition of “sexual abuse of a minor.”