In February 2020, Nelson pleaded guilty to distributing visual depictions of real minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(2). At sentencing, the parties disputed whether Nelson’s prior Ohio conviction for attempted rape of a minor qualified as a predicate offense for a sentencing enhancement under 18 U.S.C. § 2252(b)(1). Ultimately, the district court concluded that the enhancement applied, and it sentenced Nelson to the enhanced statutory minimum term of 180 months of imprisonment.

On appeal, Nelson argues that his prior offense for attempted rape does not trigger the § 2252(b)(1) enhancement because an attempt offense does not require a defendant to have physical contact with a victim.

“[We] review[] de novo a district court’s legal conclusion that a prior conviction triggers a mandatory minimum sentence.” United States v. Gardner, 649 F.3d 437, 442 (6th Cir. 2011). Section 2252, a federal statute prohibiting the sale, distribution, and possession of child pornography, includes a sentencing enhancement that applies to offenders with a prior conviction “under the laws of any State relating to aggravated sexual abuse, sexual abuse, or abusive sexual conduct involving a minor or ward.” 18 U.S.C. § 2252(b)(1). An offender sentenced under the § 2252(b)(1) enhancement is subject to a mandatory 15-year minimum sentence. Id.