United States v. Gendron
United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
18 F.3d 955 (2011)
Gendron was the target of a lengthy sting operation by federal agents that led to his conviction for receiving child pornography through the mail. As in Jacobson v. United States, agents sent Gendron numerous catalogs from fictitious companies advertising child pornography, and Gendron responded to these solicitations by placing orders; on one order he described the advertised materials as things he had been "dreaming of possessing" and asked whether a discount was available for bulk purchases. Gendron raised entrapment as a defense at trial, arguing that the government's sustained solicitation induced him to commit a crime he was not otherwise predisposed to commit.
Whether an opportunity to commit a crime, combined with excessive government pressure or the exploitation of a non-criminal motive, is sufficient to support an entrapment defense.