Opinion ID: 1799762
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: did the appellant's conviction and sentence violate the double jeopardy clause?

Text: ¶ 12. Jennings was imprisoned for her failure to pay the treble civil penalty of $84,460.60, as imposed by Miss. Code Ann. § 43-13-225 (Supp. 1995). She argues that the civil penalty and the resulting imprisonment constitute a violation of the Double Jeopardy Clause of the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and Article 3, Section 22 of the Mississippi Constitution when considered with other punishment received (i.e., fine for actual amount of fraud, probation, etc.). ¶ 13. Jennings contends that the imposition of the civil penalty was punishment since it bore no relation to the costs incurred by the State as a result of her fraud. She cites U.S. v. Halper, 490 U.S. 435, 109 S.Ct. 1892, 104 L.Ed.2d 487 (1989), to support her position. Halper worked as a manager at a laboratory in New York that provided medical services to patients eligible for Medicare benefits. Halper submitted 65 separate false claims for Government reimbursement. He was convicted of a felony, sentenced to imprisonment for two years and fined $5,000. Halper, 490 U.S. at 437, 109 S.Ct. at 1896. Following his conviction, the District Court granted the Government summary judgment in its civil suit against him under the federal False Claims Act (31 U.S.C. § 3729 et seq.). Id. at 438, 109 S.Ct. at 1896. At that time, the Act allowed for a civil penalty of $2,000 per violation, as well as for twice the amount of the Government's actual damages of $585 and the costs of the action. This totaled more than $130,000 for a crime that yielded $585. The District Court only entered a judgment for $16,000 plus court costs in order to make the Government whole. Id. at 439, 109 S.Ct. at 1897. The District Court concluded that the imposition of the entire amount would violate the Double Jeopardy Clause. Id. at 438, 109 S.Ct. at 1896. The Government appealed. ¶ 14. The U.S. Supreme Court stated that the Double Jeopardy Clause protects against three distinct abuses: (1) a second prosecution for the same offense after acquittal; (2) a second prosecution for the same offense after conviction; and (3) multiple punishments for the same offense. Id. at 440, 109 S.Ct. at 1897. The Supreme Court considered the question of whether the statutory penalty authorized by the False Claims Act constituted a punishment under the double jeopardy analysis. Id. at 441, 109 S.Ct. at 1898. The Court held that a civil sanction constitutes punishment for double jeopardy purposes if the sanction cannot be characterized as remedial, but only as a deterrent or retribution. Id. at 449, 109 S.Ct. at 1902. ¶ 15. Jennings goes to great lengths to analogize the case sub judice with Halper, basing her entire argument on the proposition that the civil penalty was punitive in nature. Jennings fails to mention that the Court in Halper required a subsequent civil proceeding seeking additional punishment following a criminal conviction to invoke the Double Jeopardy Clause. Id. at 451 n. 10, 109 S.Ct. at 1903. The Court limited the application of its decision by stating: In other words, the only proscription established by our ruling is that the Government may not criminally prosecute a defendant, impose a criminal penalty upon him, and then bring a separate civil action based on the same conduct and receive a judgment that is not rationally related to the goal of making the Government whole. Id. at 451, 109 S.Ct. at 1903. ¶ 16. The Court also recognized the validity of fixed-penalty-plus-double-damages as used in the False Claims Act. [1] Id. at 449, 109 S.Ct. at 1902. Furthermore, the Court made a clear statement of the actions that the Government may take: Nothing in today's ruling precludes the Government from seeking the full civil penalty against a defendant who previously has not been punished for the same conduct, even if the civil sanction imposed is punitive. In such a case, the Double Jeopardy Clause simply is not implicated. Nor does this decision prevent the Government from seeking and obtaining both the full civil penalty and the full range of statutorily authorized criminal penalties in the same proceeding. In a single proceeding the multiple-punishment issue would be limited to ensuring that the total punishment did not exceed that authorized by the legislature. See, e.g., Missouri v. Hunter, 459 U.S. 359, 368-369, 103 S.Ct. 673, 679-680, 74 L.Ed.2d 535 (1983) (Where ... a legislature specifically authorizes cumulative punishment under two statutes ... the prosecutor may seek and the trial court or jury may impose cumulative punishment under such statutes in a single trial). Id. at 450-451, 109 S.Ct. at 1903. ¶ 17. It is clear that Halper does not support the argument presented by Jennings. There was not a subsequent proceeding as required to trigger the protections of the Double Jeopardy Clause. The sentence imposed by the trial court was within the statutory authority granted by the Mississippi Legislature in Miss. Code Ann. §§ 43-13-215 (Supp. 1995) (imprisonment for not more than five years ...) and 43-13-225 (Supp. 1995) (civil penalty equal to the full amount received, plus an additional civil penalty equal to triple the full amount received ...). Even if the civil penalty was considered punishment, the application of the penalty in a single proceeding in accordance with statutory law did not violate the Double Jeopardy Clause according to the Court in Halper. Id. at 45, 109 S.Ct. at 1903. ¶ 18. Jennings continues by arguing that the civil penalty was enforced in a punitive manner because there was no provision to release Jennings from prison upon payment of the civil penalty. Jennings cites no case law to support this argument. At this point, Jennings suggests her imprisonment stemmed from a contempt of court proceeding. There is nothing in the record to suggest that Jennings's imprisonment was the result of a contempt of court proceeding or the substance of a contempt of court proceeding. To the contrary, her imprisonment arose from a probation violation that vested when she failed to pay the civil penalty imposed in her prior non-adjudicated guilty plea. The comparison of civil and criminal contempt actions and the cases presented by Jennings have no relevance to the case sub judice. ¶ 19. When she violated the terms of probation, Jennings became subject to the full statutory penalty for her crime, just as any other defendant with probation. The initial probation given to Jennings was to her benefit, and when she violated the terms of the probation, the trial court had the authority to impose any sentence in accordance with Miss. Code Ann. §§ 43-13-215 and 43-13-225. ¶ 20. In conclusion, the State's argument that this issue is procedurally barred is well taken. More important, the arguments presented by Jennings are completely without merit. The Halper case cited by Jennings as the backbone of her argument is in complete opposition to her conclusion. The case clearly precludes double jeopardy claims when a single proceeding is involved and the punishment is within statutory authority. That is the case at hand. Therefore, the decision of the trial court is affirmed as to this issue.