United States v. DodgeUnited States v. Dodge
In this аppeal we interpret the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA”),
I.
Dodge was indicted on three counts of transferring obscene material to a minor in violation of
Dodge’s pre-sentence investigation report suggested that the court impose SOR-NA registration as a condition of supervised release. Dodge objected, arguing that he was not a “sex offender” because his offense was not a “sex offense” as defined by
“We review the district court’s imposition of a special condition of supervised release for abuse of discretion, so long as the objection was preserved for appeal.” United States v. Taylor,
II.
The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, Pub.L. No. 109-248, 120 Stat. 587 (“Walsh Act”) was enacted on July 27, 2006. Title I of the Act, SORNA,
(i) a criminal offense that has an element involving a sexual act or sexual contact with another;
(ii) a criminal offense that is a specified offense against a minor;
(iii) a Federal offense (including an offense prosecuted under section 1152 or 1153 of Title 18) under section 1591, or chapter 109A, 110 (other than section 2257, 2257A, or 2258), or 117, of Title 18;
(iv) a military offense specified by the Secretary of Defense under section 115(a)(8)(C)(i) of Public Law 105-119 (10 U.S.C. 951 note); or
(v) an attempt or conspiracy to commit an offense described in clauses (i) through (iv).
The question before us is whether Dodge’s conviction under
A.
A conviction under
According to Dodge, a finding that the “other criminal offense” category of
To determine the meaning of a statute, we look first to the text of the statute itself. United States v. Silva,
Dodge’s reading of the definition of sex offense in SORNA is unduly narrow. Taken as a whole, the statute does not suggest an intent to exclude certain offenses but rather to expand the scope of offenses that meet the statutory criteria.
Most importantly, the expansive language of
B.
Next, we consider whether a violation of
If we apply a categorical approach here, we consider whether the elements of
Moreover, the Ninth Circuit recently applied a noncategorieal approach to SOR-NA’s definitions at
In Byun, the Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court’s imposition of sex offender registration as a condition of release on the defendant Byun, who pleaded guilty to three counts of alien smuggling in violation of
Importantly, the Ninth Circuit concluded that SORNA preferred a noncategorical approach with regard to the age of the victim, when analyzing a “specified offense against a minor.” Id. at 992. In doing so, the court contrasted the language of
Although the Ninth Circuit focused only on the age of the viсtim, its approach supports our conclusion that SORNA permits examination of the defendant’s underlying conduct — and not just the elements of the conviction statute — in determining what constitutes a “specified offense against a minor.” First, the definition of “specified offense against a minor” at
The transcript of Dodge’s plea colloquy
In passing SORNA, Congress left courts with broad discretion to determine what conduct is “by its nature” a sex offense. Indeed, Congress’s stated purpose was to capture a wider range of conduct in its definition of a “sex offense,” and specifically all offenses — not just convictions — of child predators. The language of SORNA discloses that in some situations a sexual act might not even be the prerequisite to a registerable “sex offense.” The key is conduct that contains a “sexual component” toward a minor. Our review of the language of SORNA confirms our conclusion that Congress cast a wide net tо ensnare as many offenses against children as possible. Here, Dodge’s conduct evinced his intent that a thirteen-year-old girl view him in a sexual state. District judges do not need a statute to spell out every instance of conduct that is a sexual offense against a minor. They are capable of examining the underlying conduct of an offense and determining whether a defendant has engaged in conduct that “by its nature is a sex offense аgainst a minor.”
Moreover, there is little difference between Dodge’s conduct as charged under
In Byun, the defendant’s underlying conviction did not correspond neatly to any listed “specified offense against a minor.” But as the Ninth Circuit explained, the “specified offense against a minor” includes a catchall category — “any conduct that by its nature is a sex offense against a minor.” Byun,
III.
For the foregoing reasons, we hold that courts may employ a noncategorical approach to examine the underlying facts of a defendant’s offense, to determine whether a defendant has committed a “specified offense against a minor” and is thus a “sex offender” subject to SORNA’s registration requirement. Dodge’s plea revealed that he engaged in conduct that “by its nature is a sex offense against a minor.” Therefore, we conclude that he is а sex offender under SORNA and that the district court did not abuse its discretion in requiring him to register as one. The judgment of the district court is AFFIRMED.
Notes
.
. Dodge pleaded guilty to all three counts, but at sentencing the district court dismissed Counts II and III on the government’s motion.
. The full text of
(6) Criminal offense The term "criminal offense” means a State, local, tribal, foreign, or military offense (to the extent specified by the Secretary of Defense under section 115(a)(8)(C)(i) of Public Law 105-119 (10 U.S.C. 951 note)) or other criminal offense.
(7) Expansion of definition of "specified offense against a minor" to include аll offenses by child predators The term "specified offense against a minor” means an offense against a minor that involves any of the following:
(A)An offense (unless committed by a parent or guardian) involving kidnapping.
(B) An offense (unless committed by a parent or guardian) involving false imprisonment.
(C) Solicitation to engage in sexual conduct.
(D) Use in a sexual performance.
(E) Solicitation to practice prostitution.
(F) Video voyeurism as described insection 1801 of Title 18.
(G) Possession, production, or distribution of child pornography.
(H) Criminal sexual conduct involving a minor, or the use of the Internet to facilitate or attempt such conduct.
(I) Any conduct that by its nature is a sex offense against a minor.
. Accepting this conclusion raises a separate problem: if the "other criminal offense" language of
. The
. In its recent analysis of SORNA, the Ninth Circuit did not discuss the exclusivity of
. The Byun court however was careful to note that it drew "no conclusion as to whether a non-categorical approach is permitted with regard to any facts other than the age of the victim.”
. Unlike Dodge, the defendant in Byun executed a plea agreement.
. Indeed,