United States Court of Appeals For the Seventh Circuit ____________________ No. 22-1877 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. MICHAEL J. BAIRD, Defendant-Appellant. ____________________

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. No. 20-cr-40043 — J. Phil Gilbert, Judge. ____________________

ARGUED OCTOBER 28, 2022 — DECIDED JUNE 7, 2023 ____________________

Before SCUDDER, KIRSCH, and JACKSON-AKIWUMI, Circuit Judges. SCUDDER, Circuit Judge. Michael Baird responded to an online FBI sting operation advertising the opportunity to have sex with a ten-year-old girl. Believing the ad’s author was the child’s father, Baird discussed his desired sexual activity in graphic detail and also offered to bring the child candy as a gift. Baird drove to the agreed-upon meeting place later that day only to encounter the FBI and find himself under arrest. 2