United States v. Yelloweagle

HOLMES, Circuit Judge.

Congress has enacted an elaborate system of registration and reporting requirements for individuals convicted of sex offenses. The law requires all sex offenders to register, regardless of whether then-convictions are based on federal or state law. For those sex offenders whose convictions are based on federal law, an enforcement provision provides that the failure to register or update a registration constitutes a new federal crime.

Alden Yelloweagle, the appellant here, was previously convicted of a federal sex offense. When he failed to register as required, he was…