Opinion ID: 1360941
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: The Acts Underlying the Receipt and Possession Counts are Based on the Same Conduct.

Text: The government does not dispute that possession of sexually explicit material is a lesser-included offense of receipt of sexually explicit material. Instead, the government contends that there is no double jeopardy violation because the two counts are based on different acts. The Blockburger test is implicated only where the same act or transaction constitutes a violation of two distinct statutory provisions. 284 U.S. at 304, 52 S.Ct. 180. The Double Jeopardy Clause does not, of course, prohibit the government from prosecuting a defendant for multiple offenses in a single prosecution. Ohio v. Johnson, 467 U.S. 493, 500, 104 S.Ct. 2536, 81 L.Ed.2d 425 (1984); United States v. Kuchinski, 469 F.3d 853, 859 (9th Cir. 2006). The government, however, bears the burden of establishing multiple counts by charging and proving separate offenses. See United States v. Planck, 493 F.3d 501, 504-05 (5th Cir.2007). The government contends that the conduct charged in the receipt offense is factually different than the conduct charged in the possession offense because the indictment charges Schales with possession for a month longer than the receipt offense and because the evidence introduced at trial proves that Schales possessed and created copies of images that he transferred from one medium to another. The government asserts that this separate conductthe receipt of the child pornography pictures on his computer hard drive and then the subsequent printing out of those images and retaining them on multiple compact discsdistinguishes this case from Davenport where the defendant's possession of images of child pornography was limited to the computer hard drive. The statute proscribing the possession of sexually explicit material prohibits the possession of books, magazines, periodicals, films, video tapes, or other matter which contain any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct. 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(4)(B). In United States v. Lacy, 119 F.3d 742 (9th Cir.1997), we explained that a matter, is the physical medium that contains the visual depiction such as a computer hard drive or a computer disc. Id. at 748. Thus, where a defendant has stored sexually explicit images in separate mediums, the government may constitutionally charge that defendant with separate counts for each type of material or media possessed. For example, in Planck, the Fifth Circuit held that the government may permissibly charge a defendant with separate counts of possession for storing images of child pornography on a desktop, a laptop, and diskettes. 493 F.3d at 504. The court explained that where a defendant has images stored in separate materials (as defined in 18 U.S.C. § 2252A), such as a computer, a book, and a magazine, the Government may charge multiple counts, each for the type of material or media possessed, as long as the prohibited images were obtained through the result of different transactions. Id. (citing United States v. Buchanan, 485 F.3d 274, 281-82 (5th Cir.2007) (finding the defendant's convictions for multiple counts of receipt of child pornography were multiplicitous because the indictment failed to allege separate receipt of the four images identified)). The indictment in this case charged Schales with receipt and possession of sexually explicit material based on the same conduct. In Count One, relating to receipt, the grand jury returned an indictment that charged Schales from in or about January 2005, and continuing through September, 2005 . . . did knowingly receive and distribute, via computer, visual depictions, the producing of which involved minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, which depictions had been transported in interstate commerce, specifically: the defendant, using a computer and modem, received and distributed via the Internet and interstate commerce, numerous image files, including but not limited to Joint Photographic Experts Format files and Graphic Interchange Formats (JPEG & GIF files) all of which, as the defendant then knew, contained visual depictions, the producing of which involved the use of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. . . . In Count Two, relating to possession, the grand jury returned an indictment that charged Schales from in or about January 2005, and continuing through October 4, 2005 . . . did knowingly possess visual depictions, the producing of which involved minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, which depictions had been transported in interstate commerce, specifically: the defendant obtained possession via the Internet of numerous image files, including but not limited to Joint Photographic-Experts Format files and Graphic Interchange Formats (JPEG & GIF files) all of which contained visual depictions, the producing of which involved the use of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. . . . Nothing in the indictment indicates that Schales was charged with, or prosecuted for, different conduct. If the government wishes to charge a defendant with both receipt and possession of material involving the sexual exploitation of minors based on separate conduct, it must distinctly set forth each medium forming the basis of the separate counts. For example, we note that there would have been no double jeopardy violation if the government had distinctly charged Schales with both receipt of material involving the sexual exploitation of minors for the images that he downloaded from the internet and with possession of material involving the sexual exploitation of minors for the images that he transferred to and stored on compact discs. However, the indictment as written does not allow us to conclude that the jury found Schales guilty of separate conduct. Instead, the indictment charges Schales with receipt of the material by way of downloading it from the internet onto his computer and possession of this material in the same medium. This is multiplicitous. See Davenport, 519 F.3d at 947; Giberson, 527 F.3d at 891. The district court's jury instructions and the jury's verdict do not lead us to a different conclusion. The district court instructed the jury on the elements of both receipt and possession of material involving the sexual exploitation of minors. The jury was not instructed that it would have to find separate conduct. The district court did not utilize a special verdict form to indicate to the jury that it would have to find separate conduct. In fact, the government argued to the jury that it could convict Schales on all three counts by relying solely on one image. On this record, we cannot conclude that Schales was convicted for separate conduct. As we have done in Davenport and Giberson, we find that Schales's concurrent sentences for both receipt and possession of material involving the sexual exploitation of minors constitute plain error and that this affects substantial rights by imposing on him the potential collateral consequences of an additional conviction. Giberson, 527 F.3d at 891 (quoting Davenport, 519 F.3d at 947). [B]ecause the prohibition against double jeopardy is a cornerstone of our system of constitutional criminal procedure, this error threatens the fairness, integrity, and public reputation of our judicial proceedings. Id. (quoting Davenport, 519 F.3d at 947). Where we conclude that a defendant has suffered a double jeopardy violation because he was erroneously convicted for the same offense under two separate counts, and we find that the evidence was sufficient to support either conviction, the only remedy consistent with the congressional intent is for the[d]istrict [c]ourt, where the sentencing responsibility resides, to exercise its discretion to vacate one of the underlying convictions. Ball, 470 U.S. at 864, 105 S.Ct. 1668.