Opinion ID: 153166
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Double Jeopardy Contention

Text: On appeal, Defendant asserts for the first time that the government violated her Fifth Amendment guarantee against double jeopardy by bringing criminal proceedings against her after forfeiting her property in a parallel civil forfeiture action. The government responds that 4 Defendant waived her double jeopardy argument by: (1) failing to raise it below, and (2) voluntarily pleading guilty. We agree with the government that Defendant waived her double jeopardy argument by failing to raise it below. We therefore do not consider the government’s alternative waiver argument. We decide whether to exercise our discretion to consider an argument raised for the first time on appeal on a case-by-case basis. Lyons v. Jefferson Bank & Trust, 994 F.2d 716, 721 (10th Cir. 1993) (citing Singleton v. Wulff, 428 U.S. 106, 121 (1976)). The general rule is that we do not consider arguments raised for the first time on appeal. Hicks v. Gates Rubber Co., 928 F.2d 966, 970 (10th Cir. 1991). “Plain errors or defects affecting substantial rights may be noticed although they were not brought to the attention of the court.” Fed. R. Crim. P. 52(b). The plain error exception, however, “is to be ‘used sparingly, solely in those circumstances in which a miscarriage of justice would otherwise result.’” United States v. Young, 470 U.S. 1, 15 (1985) (quoting United States v. Frady, 456 U.S. 152, 163 n.14 (1982)). Under Rule 52(b), “[t]here must be an ‘error’ that is ‘plain’ and that ‘affect[s] substantial rights.’” United States v. Olano, 113 S. Ct. 1770, 1776 (1993) (quoting Young, 470 U.S. at 15)). In the instant case we hold that Defendant has waived her double jeopardy argument by failing to raise it below. Moreover, no miscarriage of justice will result because, under our precedent, Defendant can demonstrate no error, and hence, no plain error. We recently joined the Third, Fifth, and Seventh Circuits in holding that when a defendant fails to judicially contest a civil forfeiture action by filing a claim, she is not subject to “former” jeopardy in the forfeiture action, and therefore, by definition, the government’s subsequent prosecution of the defendant does not constitute double jeopardy. United States v. German, 76 F.3d 315, 319-20 (10th Cir. 5 1996); United States v. Baird, 63 F.3d 1213, 1219 (3d Cir. 1995), cert. denied, 116 S. Ct. 909 (1996); United States v. Arreola-Ramos, 60 F.3d 188, 192-93 (5th Cir. 1995); United States v. Torres, 28 F.3d 1463, 1465 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, 115 S. Ct. 669 (1994). As Judge Easterbrook explained in Torres, “You can’t have double jeopardy without a former jeopardy. As a nonparty, Torres was not at risk in the forfeiture proceeding, and ‘[w]ithout risk of a determination of guilt, jeopardy does not attach, and neither an appeal nor further prosecution constitutes double jeopardy.’” Id. (quoting Serfass v. United States, 420 U.S. 377, 389 (1975)). Thus, under the law of this circuit, which we apply to pending appeals, Griffith v. Kentucky, 479 U.S. 314, 328 (1987), a defendant’s failure to judicially contest a civil forfeiture action is fatal to her double jeopardy challenge to a subsequent criminal proceeding. Accordingly, because Defendant did not judicially contest the government’s civil forfeiture action, Defendant’s double jeopardy claim fails. There is consequently no error, and hence no plain error under Rule 52(b). We hold Defendant has waived her double jeopardy argument.1