United States v. Alexander Walls

Defendant-appellant Alexander Walls operated as a small-time pimp. The questions here are (1) whether, under the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution, Congress has the power to regulate his local pimping, and (2) whether Congress intended a federal criminal statute to regulate local pimping consistent with the full extent of its commerce powers. We answer both questions in the affirmative.

I

Walls was charged by criminal complaint in August 2011 with interstate transportation of a child for the purpose of prostitution, 18 U.S.C. § 2423 (a), and witness tampering, 18 U.S.C. § 1512 (b)(1). A grand jury in the Western District of Washington returned an indictment that same month charging Walls with the same criminal offenses. After two superseding indictments, Walls and a codefendant were charged in March 2012 in a third superseding indictment with sex-trafficking crimes involving seven victims and witness-tampering crimes involving three victims. The third superseding indictment charged Walls with conspiracy to transport a juvenile female for prostitution in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 371 and 2423(a) (Count 1); interstate transportation of a child for…