Opinion ID: 196508
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Petite Policy

Text: 42 Gary contends that his federal prosecution violated the Justice Department's policy guarding against dual federal-state prosecutions. See Petite v. United States, 361 U.S. 529, 80 S.Ct. 450, 4 L.Ed.2d 490 (1960) (per curiam) (vacating conviction at government's request because prosecution contravened internal Justice Department policy forbidding multiple prosecutions for same criminal conduct). The Petite policy is an internal Justice Department policy forbidding federal prosecution of a person for alleged criminality which was 'an ingredient of a previous state prosecution against that person'; exceptions are made only if the prosecution will serve 'compelling interests of federal law enforcement.'  United States v. McCoy, 977 F.2d 706, 712 (1st Cir.1992) (quoting Thompson v. United States, 444 U.S. 248, 248, 100 S.Ct. 512, 512, 62 L.Ed.2d 457 (1980)) (citation omitted). See also Rinaldi v. United States, 434 U.S. 22, 24 n. 5, 98 S.Ct. 81, 82-83 n. 5, 54 L.Ed.2d 207 (1977) (per curiam) (policy bars dual federal-state prosecution). We have repeatedly held that the Petite policy does not confer substantive rights on criminal defendants. See McCoy, 977 F.2d at 712; United States v. Booth, 673 F.2d 27, 30 (1st Cir.), cert. denied, 456 U.S. 978, 102 S.Ct. 2245, 72 L.Ed.2d 853 (1982).