State v. Shumpert

554 N.W.2d 250, 1996 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 393, 1996 WL 526490
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedSeptember 18, 1996
Docket95-61
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 554 N.W.2d 250 (State v. Shumpert) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Shumpert, 554 N.W.2d 250, 1996 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 393, 1996 WL 526490 (iowa 1996).

Opinion

LARSON, Justice.

Farley Shumpert was convicted of possession of cocaine with intent to deliver, Iowa Code § 124.401(l)(c)(2)(b) (1993), and possession of cocaine without payment of the tax, Iowa Code §§ 453B.3 and 453B.12 (1993). On appeal he contends that (1) imposition of the taxes and penalties under chapter 453B violates the Excessive Fines Clause of the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution, (2) his payment of the tax under a distress warrant bars a subsequent criminal prosecution under the double jeopardy provision of the Fifth Amendment, (3) sufficient evidence did not support the conviction, and (4) he received ineffective assistance of counsel. We affirm.

I. The Facts.

In 1994 Shumpert was admitted to the emergency room of a Clinton hospital to be treated for a gunshot wound. In the process of treating Shumpert, medical personnel found bags of cocaine that had apparently been hidden in his clothing. Shumpert was charged with possession and failure to pay the tax.

Before Shumpert’s trial on these charges, the Iowa Department of Revenue and Finance assessed a tax on possession of the drugs, together with penalty, interest, and fees pursuant to Iowa Code chapter 453B. The total assessment was $1623.20, based on the quantity of drugs in his possession.

Shumpert paid the tax. He later pleaded former jeopardy in the criminal case on the basis that his payment of the tax under a distress warrant constituted a prosecution. The trial court rejected that argument, and the criminal case went to trial.

II. The Issues.

A. The excessive-fines argument. Shumpert contends that the tax and penalty levied on him under chapter 453B violated the Excessive Fines Clause of the Eighth Amendment. The tax imposed was $800. A late-payment penalty of another $800, interest of $11.20, and a lien recording fee of $12.00 were also assessed against him.

We do not address this argument because Shumpert failed to raise it in the trial court. He argues that this failure should be excused because we review constitutional issues de novo. However, that does not obviate the need for raising the issue in the trial court. See State v. Wages, 483 N.W.2d 325, 326 (Iowa 1992).

B. The double-jeopardy argument. Shumpert contends that the double-jeopardy protections of the Fifth Amendment bar his prosecution for possession with intent to deliver following his payment of the tax and penalty for failure to affix a drug tax stamp.

The Double Jeopardy Clause provides that no person shall “be subject to the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb.” U.S. Const, amend. V. It protects against (1) a second prosecution for the same offense after acquittal, (2) a second prosecution for the same offense after conviction, *253 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); Dressier v. Iowa Dep’t of Transp., 542 N.W.2d 563, 565 (Iowa 1996); State v. McFarlin, 542 N.W.2d 559, 560 (Iowa 1996).

Shumpert’s double-jeopardy argument raises two questions: whether the tax assessment was a “prosecution,” and if so, whether it was for the “same offense.” We address only the first question because we conclude that the tax assessment was not a prosecution for double-jeopardy purposes.

The word “prosecution” usually denotes a criminal proceeding. United States v. Reis-inger, 128 U.S. 398, 402, 9 S.Ct. 99, 101, 32 L.Ed. 480, 481 (1888); see also Black’s Law Dictionary 1099 (5th ed. 1979) (defining “prosecution” as “a criminal action”). However, in recent years, the Supreme Court has moved away from relying on “criminal” and “civil” labels in double-jeopardy inquiries. See, e.g., Montana Dep’t of Revenue v. Kurth Ranch, 511 U.S. 767, -, 114 S.Ct. 1937, 1945, 128 L.Ed.2d 767, 777 (1994); United States v. Halper, 490 U.S. 435, 447, 109 S.Ct. 1892, 1901, 104 L.Ed.2d 487, 501 (1989). Now the determination of whether the drug tax assessment is a “prosecution” and thus subject to double-jeopardy protections depends on whether the tax imposed is punitive in nature. Kurth Ranch, 511 U.S. at-, 114 S.Ct. at 1946, 128 L.Ed.2d at 779 (“[A] tax is not immune from double jeopardy scrutiny simply because it is a tax.... [A]t some point, an exaction labeled as a tax approaches punishment_”).

In Kurth Ranch, the Supreme Court held that the collection of a Montana drug tax was punitive in nature and held that a subsequent prosecution was barred by the Double Jeopardy Clause. However, there are significant differences between the taxes in Kurth Ranch and the Iowa tax in the present case. We noted those distinctions in State v. Lange, 531 N.W.2d 108 (Iowa 1995). First, the Iowa tax is not conditioned on the commission of a crime as it was in Kurth Ranch. In addition, the Iowa tax is levied on possession of the drugs. In contrast, the Montana tax was imposed after the drugs had been destroyed, so the tax could not be fairly characterized as one based on ownership or possession. Kurth Ranch, 511 U.S. at-, 114 S.Ct. at 1948, 128 L.Ed.2d at 781; see Lange, 531 N.W.2d at 110.

In its most recent double-jeopardy case, the Supreme Court considered whether civil in rem forfeitures constitute punishment for double-jeopardy purposes. It concluded that they did not. United States v. Ursery, 518 U.S. -, 116 S.Ct. 2135, 135 L.Ed.2d 549 (1996). Forfeiture cases, as in Ursery, must be distinguished from those involving drug taxes. However, the Supreme Court in Ursery discussed Kurth Ranch and the unique nature of the tax in that case. The Court again distinguished the Montana tax from those such as Iowa’s that, under the Kurth test,' could not be characterized as the “functional equivalent” of a successive prosecution. Ursery, 518 U.S. at-, 116 S.Ct. at 2144, 135 L.Ed.2d at 564.

Shumpert distinguishes his case from Lange on the basis that in this case the State collected the tax through the use of a distress warrant. He apparently contends that this makes the tax punitive.

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Bluebook (online)
554 N.W.2d 250, 1996 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 393, 1996 WL 526490, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-shumpert-iowa-1996.