Source: http://openjurist.org/588/f2d/1041/united-states-v-robinson-b
Timestamp: 2017-07-24 09:13:14
Document Index: 263486203

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 1955', '§ 1955', '§ 1955', '§ 1955', 'art:\n18', '§ 2']

588 F2d 1041 United States v. Robinson B | OpenJurist
588 F. 2d 1041 - United States v. Robinson B HomeFederal Reporter, Second Series 588 F.2d.
588 F2d 1041 United States v. Robinson B 588 F.2d 1041
UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee,v.Thomas David ROBINSON, Homer Lee Miller, Jr., a/k/a MikeMiller, and Malcolm B. Davis, Defendants-Appellants.
Kenneth J. Mighell, U. S. Atty., Fort Worth, Tex., Judith A. Shepherd, Shirley Baccus-Lobel, Asst. U. S. Attys., Dallas, Tex., for plaintiff-appellee.
In United States v. Clements, 588 F.2d 1030 (5th Cir. 1979), we upheld the Government's contention that a gambling operation in Amarillo, Texas could be combined with a gambling operation in Dallas-Fort Worth which is the subject of the instant case in order to furnish the "five or more persons" necessary to create the gambling business proscribed by 18 U.S.C.A. § 1955. We hold here that two defendants, Robinson and Miller, having been convicted for their role in the Dallas-Fort Worth gambling operation in Clements, were subjected to double jeopardy in this case. They were again tried and convicted for their Dallas-Forth Worth gambling activity notwithstanding the additional connections between the Dallas-Fort Worth operation and Austin and San Antonio gambling operations in this case. We, therefore, reverse their convictions. As to the third defendant, Davis, who was not tried in the prior case, but who was shown to be a part of the Dallas-Fort Worth operation, we affirm his conviction against the contention that the trial court erred in not granting a mistrial, in refusing to give certain requested instructions, and in admitting evidence obtained under allegedly faulty warrants.
This case arose from the same FBI investigation of Texas gambling operations which gave rise to United States v. Clements, supra. The details of this investigation are adequately set forth in that case and need not be detailed here. The focal point of the instant prosecution was the Dallas-Fort Worth operation. The evidence at trial tended to show that defendant Miller, assisted by defendants Robinson, Davis, Jones, and Faulkner, ran a bookmaking business which accepted wagers on professional and collegiate sporting events. The gross revenues of the business exceeded a quarter of a million dollars a day during the period from September 1, 1975 through January 15, 1976. Two other defendants, Joseph and Salinas, whose trials were severed and who plead guilty, operated small gambling businesses interconnected with the Dallas-Fort Worth operation in Austin and San Antonio respectively. Defendant Jones entered a plea of guilty and was severed. The jury returned a verdict of guilty as to defendants Miller, Robinson, Davis, and Faulkner and not guilty as to defendant Stone. Miller, Robinson, and Davis appeal.
Where the offense charged is conduct of an illegal gambling business in violation of 18 U.S.C.A. § 1955, the identity of time and place and the use of some overlapping evidence is not decisive.1 In such a case the determination of whether one or two offenses have taken place for double jeopardy purposes must rest upon the peculiar facts of each case.
The Government suggests that Miller and Robinson should be regarded as members of the Amarillo business for purposes of Clements, and as members of the Dallas-Fort Worth operation for purposes of this case. The facts indicate, however, that the focus in Clements was on the Dallas Bookmaking Operation (a headnote in the Government's brief in Clements ). It was not shown that Miller and Robinson played any direct individual role in the operation of the Amarillo business nor that their involvement was distinguishable from their conduct of the Dallas-Forth Worth business.
In prosecuting interdependent operations such as those involved in the instant case and Clements, the Government has considerable flexibility. Where the evidence shows a substantial linkage between two independent operations, the Government may treat the operations as one business for purposes of 18 U.S.C.A. § 1955. If it chooses to do so, it may include all persons involved in the interrelated operations to arrive at the prerequisite five. It may not, however, without more treat the same persons as being involved in separate businesses in another prosecution to avoid double jeopardy. Because defendants Miller and Robinson have been convicted of conducting the Dallas-Forth Worth gambling operation in United States v. Clements, supra, their convictions in the instant case constitute double jeopardy and must be reversed.
In this connection, it must be noted that the indictments in the two cases were identical, except for the naming of different codefendants in each case, and the same wiretap produced the bulk of the evidence in both cases. The effect of the holding that defendants Miller and Robinson may not be twice convicted for operating one gambling business does not mean, of course, that they may not be counted in the instant case toward the "five persons" necessary under the statute for the conviction of any other persons involved in the business.Davis
18 U.S.C.A. § 1955 reads in part:
18 U.S.C.A. § 2, under which defendants also were charged, reads: