Case Title: Geiser v. State

Citation: 

Docket Number: 

State: wyoming

Court: Wyoming Supreme Court

Date: 1996-06-26T00:00:00Z

Document:
Geiser v. State1996 WY 89920 P.2d 1243Case Number: 95-187Decided: 06/26/1996Supreme Court of Wyoming
Larrie GEISER,

 Appellant 
(Defendant),

v.

The STATE of 
Wyoming,

 Appellee 
(Plaintiff).

Appeal from the District 
Court, Weston County, Terrence L. O'Brien, J.

Sylvia L. Hackl, 
State Public Defender; Deborah Cornia, Appellate Counsel; and Donna D. Hoffdahl, 
Assistant Appellate Counsel, for Appellant.

William U. Hill, 
Attorney General; Paul S. Rehurek, Deputy Attorney General; D. Michael Pauling, 
Senior Assistant Attorney General; Theodore E. Lauer, Director, Prosecution 
Assistance Program; and James M. Smirch, Student Intern, for 
Appellee.

Before 
GOLDEN, C.J., and THOMAS, MACY, TAYLOR and LEHMAN, JJ.

TAYLOR, 
Justice.

[¶1]      This is a felony 
check fraud case brought before this court by appellant. Appellant was convicted 
of two separate felony check fraud charges in two different counties. Appellant 
appeals his second conviction as violative of double jeopardy. We 
affirm.

I. 
ISSUES

[¶2]      Appellant states 
the issue as follows:

Was the Appellant denied 
his constitutional right to be free from double jeopardy when the State 
convicted him twice of felony fraud by check and the time period relied upon was 
the same for both convictions?

[¶3]      Appellee states 
the issue as follows:

Was appellant put twice 
in jeopardy when, after being convicted in Laramie County for fraudulently 
issuing two or more checks in the aggregate amount of more than $500.00 between 
May 17, 1992, and July 19, 1992, he was subsequently convicted in Weston County 
for fraudulently issuing five additional checks in the aggregate amount of more 
than $500.00 between September 4, 1992, and September 11, 
1992?

II. 
FACTS

[¶4]      In September of 
1992, appellant, Larrie Geiser (Geiser), was charged with felony check fraud in 
Weston County, Wyoming. During a sixty-day period, Geiser issued five checks in 
the aggregate amount of over $500.00. The last check was issued September 11, 
1992. The first check was issued on September 4, 1992. Previously, Geiser pled 
guilty to felony check fraud in Laramie County, Wyoming with the last check 
being issued on July 19, 1992.

III. 
DISCUSSION

[¶5]      Geiser argues 
that his constitutional right to be free from double jeopardy was violated. The 
Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution and Wyo. Const. art. 1, § 11 
provide three separate constitutional protections. These double jeopardy clauses 
protect "`against a second prosecution for the same offense after acquittal, 
against a second prosecution for the same offense after conviction, and against 
multiple punishments for the same offense.'" Cook v. State, 841 P.2d 1345, 1347 
(Wyo. 1992) (quoting Justices of Boston Municipal Court v. Lydon, 466 U.S. 294, 
306-07, 104 S. Ct. 1805, 1812, 80 L. Ed. 2d 311 (1984)). Protection against 
multiple punishments is the only issue raised in this 
case.

[¶6]      A person is 
guilty of felony check fraud "if the offender is convicted of fraud by check 
involving two (2) or more checks issued within any sixty (60) day period 
in the state of Wyoming totaling five hundred dollars ($500.00) or more in the 
aggregate." Wyo. Stat. § 6-3-702(b)(iii) (1988) (emphasis added). Geiser argues 
that since the last check issued in Weston County was written within the same 
sixty-day period as the last check in Laramie County, it is double jeopardy to 
charge and convict him twice. Geiser's argument fails because he committed two 
separate crimes. Jerskey v. State, 546 P.2d 173, 186 (Wyo. 
1976).

[¶7]      This court has 
held that "`"if offenses charged are separate and distinct either with 
respect to statutory definition, or, because they grow out of different 
transactions and different evidence is needed to prove each, then constitutional 
inhibition against double jeopardy is not applicable."'" Jerskey, 546 P.2d  
at 186 (quoting Jackson v. State, 522 P.2d 1356, 1359 (Wyo. 1974)) (emphasis 
added). Geiser committed two separate and distinct crimes and there can be no 
double jeopardy violation for convicting him of each crime. 
Id.

IV. 
CONCLUSION

[¶8]      Each offense 
involved two or more bad checks totaling over $500.00. Further, each offense 
occurred in a different county, at different times and involved different 
victims. Thus, venue, which is an element of the crime, is different with 
respect to each charge. Brown v. State, 703 P.2d 1097, 1099 (Wyo. 1985). 
Geiser's conviction is affirmed on two theories. First, because he committed two 
separate and distinct crimes double jeopardy cannot attach. Jerskey, 546 P.2d  at 
186. Second, each offense was charged in a different venue, thus altering an 
element of each crime and, again, double jeopardy cannot attach. Brown, 703 P.2d  
at 1099. Geiser's argument fails under each theory and his conviction is 
affirmed.