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When Does the Government Cross the Line Between Trapping an Unwary Innocent Person Versus Trapping an Unwary Criminal?

By Ron Chapman

         In the case of Jacobson v. United States, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the conviction of Mr. Jacobson after finding that agents of the federal government entrapped him when they overstepped the line between trapping an unwary innocent person and trapping an unwary criminal.          In 1984, Mr. Jacobson ordered two magazines and a brochure from an out-of-state adult bookstore that contained photographs of nude preteen and teenage boys.  At that time, it was legal to order such materials through the U.S. Postal Service.  However, that same year Congress passed the Child Protection Act of 1984 which outlawed such activity...continue to full post

Full post as published by Palm Beach Criminal Defense Blog on April 12, 2009 (boomark / email).