Commonwealth v. Sego

872 S.W.2d 441
CourtKentucky Supreme Court
DecidedApril 21, 1994
Docket92-SC-1062-DG and 93-SC-305-DG
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 872 S.W.2d 441 (Commonwealth v. Sego) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Kentucky Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commonwealth v. Sego, 872 S.W.2d 441 (Ky. 1994).

Opinions

WINTERSHEIMER, Justice.

This appeal is from a decision of the Court of Appeals which reversed a judgment of conviction against Sego for conspiracy to commit second-degree arson. He was sentenced to seven years in prison but was probated for a term of five years.

The specific issues are whether an undercover police agent can be a party to a conspiracy and whether an indicted conspirator becomes a non-conspirator by pleading guilty to a lesser charge. The Court of Appeals answered both questions in the negative and reversed the conviction by relying on KRS 506.070(3) to the effect that a defendant cannot be convicted of conspiracy if all of the co-conspirators have been acquitted or discharged under circumstances amounting to acquittal.

In June of 1990, Sego and an undercover agent of the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms reached an agreement under which Sego accepted $2,490 to burn a house. Shortly after he received the money, [443]*443Sego and a companion were arrested. Both were indicted for conspiracy and complicity to commit second-degree arson. The companion pled guilty to facilitation to commit second-degree arson. He was sentenced to three years’ probation in exchange for his testimony against Sego.

At trial, Sego testified that he intended to report the undercover agent to police and he did not intend to set a fire but rather to take the money and leave town. Upon conviction of conspiracy to commit second-degree arson, Sego appealed to the Court of Appeals which reversed. This Court accepted the motion of the Commonwealth for discretionary review.

The Court of Appeals held that Sego was entitled to a directed verdict of acquittal because an undercover agent cannot be a party to conspiracy and an indicted conspirator becomes a non-conspirator by pleading guilty to a lesser charge. The panel did not reach the other issues raised by Sego on his appeal as a matter of right. We granted a cross-motion bringing the other issues before the Court of Appeals to this Court.

Sego was not entitled to a directed verdict of acquittal because his codefendant entered a plea to the offense of facilitation, and the fact that his other co-conspirator was a police agent did not mean that he was “discharged under circumstances amounting to an acquittal” so as to entitle Sego to an acquittal under KRS 506.070(3). Sego was not entitled to a directed verdict of acquittal pursuant to KRS 506.070(2) because it is not a valid defense that his co-conspirator, a police agent, did not truly agree to the conspiracy.

Criminal conspiracy at common law traditionally has been considered as an agreement to accomplish an unlawful act involving two or more persons- sharing a “bilateral” or “multilateral” relationship. Some courts required proof that at least two of the conspirators were actually guilty of the conspiracy. The commentary to KRS 506.070 points out that one of the problems with this analysis is that no conspiracy can exist if one of the parties is irresponsible or innocent. However, the Model Penal Code indicates that the actor’s liability is not affected by such factors and are extraneous to culpability. Model Penal Code, Commentaries, § 5.04, Explanatory Note (1985).

The legal incapacity of a co-conspirator will not exonerate the associate. It is of no consequence in the prosecution of criminal conspiracy that a co-conspirator of the actor could not be guilty of the crime which is the objective of the association because of a lack of intent.

KRS 506.070(2)(a)-(c) makes a defendant’s criminal culpability dependent upon his or her own conduct rather than that of his or her associates. KRS 506.070(2) is substantially the same as the New York Penal Code § 105.30 which provides that it is not a defense to a conspiracy prosecution that the other party may lack the necessary “mens rea” or criminal intent for an agreement. See People v. Lanni, 95 Misc.2d 4, 406 N.Y.S.2d 1011 (1978); People v. Cardosanto, 84 Misc.2d 275, 375 N.Y.S.2d 834 (1975).

KRS 506.070(3) is an exception to the rule in KRS 506.070(2). However, it cannot be used to except a conspirator from a conviction if the co-conspirator is otherwise exempt from culpability or prosecution under KRS 506.070(2).

KRS 506.070(3) must be read consistent with Green v. Commonivealth, 264 Ky. 725, 95 S.W.2d 561 (1936), which noted that a criminal conspirator is not entitled to dismissal of the charges simply because the co-conspirators have not been convicted. In Green, supra, dismissal was required because all the co-conspirators subjected to trial had been acquitted and there was no evidence introduced that she otherwise conspired with the named conspirators not subject to trial. In our view, the rule emanating from Green does not encompass co-conspirators not subject to prosecution under indictment.

The traditional rule of Green, as enacted in KRS 506.070(3) should not be applied in this case because the federal agent did not and will not face prosecution. KRS 506.070(3) requires acquittal or dismissal, not merely non-prosecution.

[444]*444The plea bargain with the codefendant did not mean that the codefendant was acquitted of conspiracy as is contemplated by KRS 506.070(3). Weber v. Commomwealth, 24 Ky. 1726, 72 S.W. 30 (1903) observed that merely because a codefendant could not be further prosecuted for conspiracy did not mean that there was not a conspiracy between the two of them warranting an instruction on conspiracy. Weber, supra, also noted that:

to adopt the rule urged by the learned counsel would be to deprive the Commonwealth of all benefits from this section where there were only two in the conspiracy. For if, in this event, one of the conspirators was introduced as a witness for the state, the other would never be convicted, however clearly his guilt might be shown.

We do not believe the legislature intended the reference to “acquittal” under KRS 506.-070

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Commonwealth v. Sego
872 S.W.2d 441 (Kentucky Supreme Court, 1994)

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872 S.W.2d 441, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commonwealth-v-sego-ky-1994.