United States v. Jeffrey Howard

EDWARD C. PRADO, Circuit Judge:

This appeal from a bench trial verdict raises a difficult question concerning the criminal law of attempt. The government caught the Defendanb-Appellant Jeffrey Howard (“Howard”) in a sting operation. A government agent impersonated a mother offering up her two minor daughters for sex. Howard sent the agent sexually explicit photographs and asked that she show the photographs to the girls. He also suggested that the agent procure birth control for and perform sex acts on her daughters to get them ready for him. But Howard did not make travel arrangements to…