United States v. Joseph Perkins — 7th Cir. (Oct 6, 2026)
We hear United States v. Joseph Perkins in the Seventh Circuit. Prosecutors described months of online exchanges with someone Perkins believed was a minor and plans for a sexual encounter. A jury convicted him, and the case has reached the court of appeals. One term to keep in mind is entrapment. That defense concerns government inducement and whether the defendant was already willing to commit the crime, independently of the government's intervention. Simply offering an ordinary opportunity to commit a crime is not enough. Here is the argument.
United States v. Joseph Perkins (No. 25-2522) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, argued October 6, 2026.
Sources
Argument audio — Seventh Circuit:https://media.ca7.uscourts.gov/sound/external/ef.25-2522.25-2522_10_06_2026.mp3
Argument date and case listing — Seventh Circuit:https://media.ca7.uscourts.gov/oralArguments/oar.jsp?amonth=10%2F2026&aMonth=List+case%28s%29
Case background and jury conviction — U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of Illinois:https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdil/pr/pekin-man-convicted-attempted-enticement-minor
Entrapment — Seventh Circuit Pattern Criminal Jury Instructions, §§ 6.04–6.05:https://www.ca7.uscourts.gov/assets/pdf/Criminal_Jury_Instructions_Final.pdf
Government inducement and predisposition — Jacobson v. United States, 503 U.S. 540:https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/503/540/
- 0:00Introduction