UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, No. 22-50024

Plaintiff-Appellee, D.C. No. 2:07-cr-00168- v. DSF-1 MICHAEL JOSEPH PEPE, OPINION Defendant-Appellant.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Central District of California Dale S. Fischer, District Judge, Presiding

Argued and Submitted June 27, 2023 Pasadena, California

Filed August 28, 2023 Before: N. Randy Smith, Kenneth K. Lee, and Lawrence VanDyke, Circuit Judges.

Opinion by Judge VanDyke 2 USA V. PEPE

SUMMARY *

Criminal Law

The panel affirmed Michael Pepe’s jury conviction on two counts of violating 18 U.S.C. § 2423(b) by traveling in foreign commerce with the purpose of committing illicit sexual acts and two counts of violating 18 U.S.C. § 2241(c) by crossing a state line to sexually abuse a child under 12 and then