Opinion ID: 2033504
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Double Jeopardy and Merger Pursuant to Iowa Code Section 701.9.

Text: Reed contends that the district court violated his double jeopardy rights under the Fifth Amendment to the Federal Constitution when the court sentenced him for both ongoing criminal conduct and the separate instances of delivery of cocaine that the State used to prove the ongoing-criminal-conduct charge. In support of his contention, Reed argues that delivery of cocaine is a lesser included offense of ongoing criminal conduct, and because the district court sentenced him for both offenses, the sentence violated the prohibition against multiple punishments for the same offense. Reed further argues that because (1) delivery is a lesser included offense of ongoing criminal conduct and (2) the legislature never intended double punishments, the court should have merged his convictions and sentences for delivery with his conviction and sentence for ongoing criminal conduct under Iowa Code section 701.9. Because Reed's double jeopardy challenge raises a constitutional issue, our review is de novo. See State v. Perez, 563 N.W.2d 625, 627 (Iowa 1997). We review Reed's challenge that the sentences imposed violate section 701.9 for correction of errors at law. Id. A. Double jeopardy. The Double Jeopardy Clause of the Federal Constitution provides that no person shall be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb. U.S. Const. amend. V. This constitutional provision is binding on the states through the Fourteenth Amendment to the Federal Constitution. Benton v. Maryland, 395 U.S. 784, 794, 89 S.Ct. 2056, 2062, 23 L.Ed.2d 707, 716 (1969). The Double Jeopardy Clause provides protection against (1) successive prosecutions after acquittal, (2) successive prosecutions after conviction, and (3) multiple punishments for the same offense. North Carolina v. Pearce, 395 U.S. 711, 717, 89 S.Ct. 2072, 2076, 23 L.Ed.2d 656, 664-65 (1969). This appeal involves protection against punishments for the same offense. The Double Jeopardy Clause is limited in its application in those instances in which, as here, multiple punishments are imposed pursuant to a single prosecution. Perez, 563 N.W.2d at 627. This is because the multiple-punishment prohibition does no more than prevent the sentencing court from prescribing greater punishment than the legislature intended. Missouri v. Hunter, 459 U.S. 359, 366, 103 S.Ct. 673, 678, 74 L.Ed.2d 535, 542 (1983). Therefore, as we have observed, the question of what punishments are constitutionally permissible is no different from the question of what punishments the legislature intended to be imposed. State v. McKettrick, 480 N.W.2d 52, 57 (Iowa 1992). The courts, however, must presume that `in the absence of a clear indication of contrary legislative intent,' the legislature ordinarily does not intend cumulative punishment. Hunter, 459 U.S. at 366, 103 S.Ct. at 678, 74 L.Ed.2d at 542 (quoting Whalen v. United States, 445 U.S. 684, 691-92, 100 S.Ct. 1432, 1437-38, 63 L.Ed.2d 715, 724 (1980)). The issue here is whether Reed can be sentenced both for the separate instances of delivery of cocaine and for ongoing criminal conduct. Because Reed's double jeopardy challenge arises from convictions in a single prosecution, our analysis begins with a search for legislative intent. See Perez, 563 N.W.2d at 628. In determining that intent, we first look to the face of the statute. See id. If, after considering the language of the statute, there is an absence of clear legislative intent for cumulative punishment, we then resort to the same elements testa rule of statutory constructionarticulated in Blockburger v. United States, 284 U.S. 299, 304, 52 S.Ct. 180, 182, 76 L.Ed. 306, 309 (1932). See id. We need not resort to the same-elements test here because, for reasons that follow, we think the legislature intended cumulative punishment. In Iowa Code section 706A.5(1), the legislature has made clear its intent to punish as a class B felony both preparatory and completed offenses that are committed on an ongoing basis for profit and that are indictable offenses. Had the legislature intended to prohibit cumulative punishments for indictable-offense convictions as part of the specified unlawful activity, we think it would have done so directly as it did for conspiracies in Iowa Code section 706.4. Section 706.4 expressly prohibits multiple punishments for a conspiracy to commit a public offense and any public offense that might be committed pursuant to such conspiracy. Additionally, we may consider whether the statutes that were violated serve differing purposes. See State v. Halliburton, 539 N.W.2d 339, 344 (Iowa 1995). Here, as the State suggests, the ongoing-criminal-conduct statute focuses on reducing the economic power of those who engage in ongoing illegal business for profit. See 1996 Iowa Acts ch. 1133. The provisions of Iowa Code section 124.401, on the other hand, focus on curtailing the trafficking of controlled substances. This distinction in purpose is evidence that the legislature intended to punish both offenses. As mentioned, our ongoing-criminal-conduct statute and RICO serve similar purposes. On an issue like the one confronting us, the eighth circuit held: We see nothing in the RICO statutory scheme which would suggest that Congress intended to preclude separate convictions. Instead, we conclude that Congress clearly intended to permit, and perhaps sought to encourage, the imposition of cumulative sentences for RICO offenses and the underlying crimes. United States v. Kragness, 830 F.2d 842, 864 (8th Cir.1987) (citations omitted); see also United States v. Truglio, 731 F.2d 1123, 1129 (4th Cir.1984); United States v. Sutton, 700 F.2d 1078, 1081 (6th Cir.1983), overruled on other grounds by United States v. Burgos, 94 F.3d 849, 861-62 (4th Cir.1996); United States v. Rone, 598 F.2d 564, 571 (9th Cir.1979). We likewise see nothing in our ongoing-criminal-conduct statute that suggests our legislature intended to preclude separate convictions and sentences for the ongoing criminal conduct and underlying crimes used to establish such conduct. We too think the Iowa legislature sought to encourage the imposition of such cumulative sentences. B. Merger pursuant to Iowa Code section 701.9. Iowa Code section 701.9Iowa's merger statuteprovides: No person shall be convicted of a public offense which is necessarily included in another public offense of which the person is convicted. If the jury returns a verdict of guilty of more than one offense and such verdict conflicts with this section, the court shall enter judgment of guilty of the greater offense only. Our resolution of Reed's double jeopardy claim renders this section inapplicable. See Halliburton, 539 N.W.2d at 344 (holding that, if Double Jeopardy Clause is not violated because legislature intended double punishment, section 701.9 is not applicable and merger is not required).