State v. Marnette

519 N.W.2d 35, 1994 S.D. LEXIS 86, 1994 WL 287762
CourtSouth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedJune 29, 1994
Docket18369
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 519 N.W.2d 35 (State v. Marnette) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering South Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Marnette, 519 N.W.2d 35, 1994 S.D. LEXIS 86, 1994 WL 287762 (S.D. 1994).

Opinions

AMUNDSON, Justice.

Richard Marnette (Marnette) appeals the trial court’s judgment and sentence for failure to pay sales tax two or more times in twelve months. We affirm.

FACTS

In 1992, Marnette, doing business as Mar-nette & Sons Chimney Sweeps, was charged with three counts of failure to pay sales tax, three counts of failure to file sales tax returns, and one count of failure to pay sales tax two or more times in twelve months. The first six counts covered the tax reporting period for March, April, and May of 1992. Each count constitutes a Class 1 misdemean- or. SDCL KM5-48.K2) & (4). The seventh count makes multiple violations a Class 6 felony. SDCL 10-45^8.1(8).

Pursuant to a plea agreement, Marnette pled guilty to count seven and agreed to pay back taxes, penalties, and prosecution costs. In exchange, the State dismissed the remaining six counts and agreed to remain silent at sentencing. A presentence investigation revealed to the trial court that an FBI record check discovered Marnette had a prior federal felony conviction. Marnette argued that the prior felony conviction was “set aside” under the Federal Youth Corrections Act (Act) and, therefore, the trial court should exercise its discretion and suspend imposition of Marnette’s sentence.1 State argued [37]*37that the former felony conviction precluded the sentencing court from entering a suspended imposition of sentence.

The trial court continued the sentencing hearing to allow the parties an opportunity to submit briefs on the issue. After considering these briefs, the court determined that SDCL 23A-27-13 prohibited the court from suspending imposition of sentence because Marnette had a prior felony conviction.2 The court sentenced Marnette to one hundred eighty days in the county jail with one hundred seventy-eight of those days suspended, plus restitution and prosecution costs pursuant to the plea agreement.

Marnette now appeals the trial court’s judgment and sentence.

ISSUES
1. Is a federal felony conviction which has been “set aside” under the Youth Corrections Act a prior felony conviction for purposes of SDCL 23A-27-13?
2. Did the trial court deny Marnette his right to due process or equal protection by relying on a prior felony conviction which has been “set aside” under the Federal Youth Corrections Act?
DISCUSSION
Article V, § 5 of the South Dakota Constitution, provides, in part: “Imposition or execution of a sentence may be suspended by the court empowered to impose the sentence unless otherwise provided by law.” (Emphasis added.) In other words, the courts have full authority to suspend the imposition of sentence in all cases, except where specifically restricted by statute. See generally, State, v. Huftile, 367 N.W.2d 193, 195 (S.D.1985).

State v. Schempp, 498 N.W.2d 618, 620 (S.D.1993) (emphasis in original).

The legislature has restricted a trial court’s ability to suspend the imposition of sentence if a defendant has a prior conviction for a crime “which at the time of conviction thereof would constitute a felony in this state.” SDCL 23A-27-13. In this case, SDCL 23A--27-13 prohibited the trial court from suspending the imposition of sentence because Marnette had a prior felony conviction. Marnette argues that this prior felony conviction should not prohibit the trial court from suspending imposition of his sentence because it was “set aside” by the Act. Mar-nette contends SDCL 23A-27-13 should be liberally construed to authorize the trial court to exercise its discretion to suspend the imposition of sentences in cases involving prior felony convictions which have been set aside. See SDCL 2-14-12. We disagree.

Marnette does not challenge his prior conviction; rather, he argues that the trial court had authority to suspend imposition of sentence because his conviction was “set aside” by the Federal Youth Corrections Act. 18 U.S.C. § 5021 (repealed October 12, 1984).3 He claims Congress “intended to [38]*38eradicate the impact of the original conviction” by placing the mandatory “set aside” provision in the Act. Marnette stresses that Black’s Law Dictionary, defines “set aside” as “[t]o reverse, vacate, cancel, annul or revoke a judgment” and, therefore, the conviction should not have been considered by the trial court. We need not concern ourselves with Black’s Law Dictionary’s definition of “set aside”; rather, we must look to other courts’ interpretation of the term as used in 18 U.S.C. § 5021.

Marnette explains that courts have interpreted “set aside” to mean the conviction is expunged from the record. “There is a split in authority as to whether the Act authorizes expunction of the record of a conviction which has been set aside pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 5021.” United States v. Doe, 859 F.2d 1334, 1335 (8th Cir.1988) (citing United States v. Doe, 747 F.2d 1358, 1359 (11th Cir.1984) (no expunction); United States v. Doe, 732 F.2d 229, 230-32 (1st Cir.1984) (no expunction); United States v. Doe, 556 F.2d 391, 392-93 (6th Cir.1977) (no expunction); [United States v. McMains, 540 F.2d 387 (8th Cir.1976) (no expunction) ]; with United States v. Doe, 730 F.2d 1529, 1531-34 (D.C.Cir.1984) (expunction authorized); and Watts v. Hadden 651 F.2d 1354, 1373 (10th Cir.1981) (expunction authorized)).

In McMains, 540 F.2d at 389, the Eighth Circuit wrote:

[I]n light of the purposes sought to be achieved by the Act,

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Related

State v. William Cleary
2012 MT 113 (Montana Supreme Court, 2012)
Whitepipe v. Weber
536 F. Supp. 2d 1070 (D. South Dakota, 2007)
State v. Marnette
519 N.W.2d 35 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 1994)

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Bluebook (online)
519 N.W.2d 35, 1994 S.D. LEXIS 86, 1994 WL 287762, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-marnette-sd-1994.