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Case 1:20-cr-00330-PAE Document 204 _ Filed 04/16/21 Page 197 of 239
a conspiracy, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371, to entice minors to travel with the intent to commit
an illegal sex act, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2423(a). See Indictment 4 15-17. In other words,
Count One and Count Three charge the defendant with agreeing to commit two separate and
distinct federal crimes.
B. Applicable Law
The Double Jeopardy Clause of the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution “protects against
multiple punishments for the same offense.” North Carolina v. Pearce, 395 U.S. 711, 717 (1969).
Accordingly, a defendant cannot be sentenced for multiplicitous charges covering the same crime.
“An indictment is multiplicitous when it charges a single offense as an offense multiple times, in
separate counts, when, in law and fact, only one crime has been committed.” United States v.
Chacko, 169 F.3d 140, 145 (2d Cir. 1999); see also United States v. Jones, 482 F.3d 60, 72 (2d
Cir. 2006) (“A claim of multiplicity cannot succeed, however, ‘unless the charged offenses are the
same in fact and in law.’” (quoting United States v. Estrada, 320 F.3d 173, 180 (2d Cir. 2003)).
Although the Double Jeopardy Clause does not protect against simultaneous prosecutions for the
same offense, a defendant does have a right not to be punished twice for the same crime. United
States v. Josephberg, 459 F.3d 350, 355 (2d Cir. 2006) (per curiam). Accordingly, “[i]f the jury
convicts on more than one multiplicitous count, the defendant’s right not to suffer multiple
punishments for the same offense will be protected by having the court enter judgment on only
one of the multiplicitous counts.” Jd. Similarly, where the judgment of conviction has already
been entered on multiplicitous counts, that right is protected by vacating the convictions on all but
one count. /d.
The Second Circuit has clarified that District Courts should not rule on a motion to dismiss
a charge on multiplicity grounds until the time of sentencing. See id. (vacating district court’s
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| Filename | DOJ-OGR-00003131.jpg |
| File Size | 705.1 KB |
| OCR Confidence | 94.2% |
| Has Readable Text | Yes |
| Text Length | 2,066 characters |
| Indexed | 2026-02-03 16:31:12.596903 |