United States v. Sherry Peel Jackson

315 F. App'x 127
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
DecidedSeptember 10, 2008
Docket08-10651
StatusUnpublished

This text of 315 F. App'x 127 (United States v. Sherry Peel Jackson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Sherry Peel Jackson, 315 F. App'x 127 (11th Cir. 2008).

Opinion

PER CURIAM:

After a jury trial, Sherry Peel Jackson appeals pro se her convictions for willful failure to make an income tax return, in violation of 26 U.S.C. § 7203. After review, we affirm.

A four-count information charged Jackson, a former Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) agent, with willfully failing to make an income tax return for each of the four years from 2000 through 2003, in violation of 26 U.S.C. § 7203. Each count alleged Jackson had the obligation to make an income tax return “as required by Title 26, United States Code, and by regulations made under the authority thereof.” The information alleged Jackson had gross income in excess of (1) $12,950 in 2000 (Count 1); (2) $13,400 in 2001 (Count 2); (3) $13,850 in 2002 (Count 3); and (4) $15,600 in 2003 (Count 4).

At trial, Jackson testified, inter alia, she did not file income tax returns for those four years because, based on her research of the revenue code and regulations, she did not believe she was required to do so. The jury convicted Jackson on all counts. Counsel represented Jackson at trial, but, prior to sentencing, Jackson discharged her attorney and elected to proceed pro se.

Prior to sentencing, Jackson filed a series of pro se motions arguing that her information should have been dismissed because: (1) the IRS Form 1040 did not comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act (“PRA”); (2) the information violated her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination; and (3) § 7203 was unconstitutionally vague and ambiguous. Jackson also argued that 18 U.S.C. § 4083 prohibited the district court from sentencing her to any facility that housed felons because she was convicted of misdemeanors.

The district court denied Jackson’s pro se motions and sentenced Jackson to four consecutive 12-month sentences, for a total of 48 months’ imprisonment, followed by one year of supervised release on each count, to be served concurrently. Jackson timely filed this pro se appeal.

As a threshold matter, we reject as wholly meritless Jackson’s argument that the district court lacked subject matter jurisdiction over her prosecution. Federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction over all offenses against the laws of the United States. 18 U.S.C. § 3231; see also United *129 States v. Evans, 717 F.2d 1334, 1334 (11th Cir.1983) (stating that it is frivolous to argue that a district court does not have subject matter jurisdiction over § 7203 offenses). Also, we summarily reject Jackson’s claim that there is no case or controversy presented here under Article III and that, because the United States is the named party, the United States Attorney lacked standing to file an information. See 28 U.S.C. § 547 (stating that the United States Attorney for each district is responsible for prosecuting crimes against the United States).

We also reject Jackson’s argument that her information failed to allege a § 7203 offense because it alleged in the conjunctive that she was required to make a federal tax return under Title 26 “and by regulations made under the authority thereof’ and did not specifically reference § 6012, the section requiring her to file a tax return. 1 Section 7203 makes it a misdemeanor for an individual to not file a tax return when she is “required by this title or by regulations made under authority thereof to make a return.” 26 U.S.C. § 7203 (emphasis added). 2 When a statute lists multiple ways in which it can be violated, the information may charge the acts conjunctively, but the government has to establish only that the defendant violated one of the proscribed acts. United States v. Cornillie, 92 F.3d 1108, 1110 (11th Cir.1996). Furthermore, an information charging a defendant with willful failure to file an income tax return pursuant to § 7203 does not have to mention § 6012, as an information is sufficient when it alleges that the defendant earned enough to require her to file a return and she willfully failed to do so. United States v. Kahl, 583 F.2d 1351, 1355 (5th Cir.1978). 3

Jackson’s argument that Counts 1 through 3 were barred by the three-year statute of limitations in 26 U.S.C. § 6531 is also unavailing. The six-year limitations period in § 6531(4), and not the general three-year limitations period, applies to the § 7203 offense of willful failure to file a tax return. See United States v. Phillips, 843 F.2d 438, 443 (11th Cir.1988). In any event, Jackson waived her right to assert this defense when she failed to raise it in a pretrial motion. See United States v. Ramirez, 324 F.3d 1225, 1228-29 (11th Cir.2003); Fed.R.Crim.P. 12(b)(3)(A).

Likewise, the district court did not err in denying Jackson’s motion to dismiss her information on Fifth Amendment grounds. 4 A defendant cannot defend a charge of willful failure to file a tax return by asserting that she was exercising her privilege against self-incrimination. *130 Stubbs v. Comm’r, 797 F.2d 936, 938 (11th Cir.1986); see also United States v. Sullivan, 274 U.S. 259, 263-64, 47 S.Ct. 607, 607-08, 71 L.Ed. 1037 (1927) (stating that an individual wishing to assert a Fifth Amendment privilege with regard to filing a tax return should do so on the return). 5 Furthermore, charging Jackson by information did not violate the Fifth Amendment’s grand jury requirement even though the district court imposed four consecutive one-year terms of imprisonment. See Kahl,

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Related

United States v. Cornillie
92 F.3d 1108 (Eleventh Circuit, 1996)
United States v. Darrell B. Gresham
325 F.3d 1262 (Eleventh Circuit, 2003)
United States v. Yuby Ramirez, Jairo Castro
324 F.3d 1225 (Eleventh Circuit, 2003)
United States v. Sullivan
274 U.S. 259 (Supreme Court, 1927)
United States v. Gordon W. Kahl
583 F.2d 1351 (Fifth Circuit, 1978)
Larry Bonner v. City of Prichard, Alabama
661 F.2d 1206 (Eleventh Circuit, 1981)
United States v. James W. Evans
717 F.2d 1334 (Eleventh Circuit, 1983)
United States v. Jerome H. Vance
730 F.2d 736 (Eleventh Circuit, 1984)
United States v. Paul M. Phillips
843 F.2d 438 (Eleventh Circuit, 1988)
United States v. Ted A. Neff
954 F.2d 698 (Eleventh Circuit, 1992)
United States v. Patridge
507 F.3d 1092 (Seventh Circuit, 2007)

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315 F. App'x 127, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-sherry-peel-jackson-ca11-2008.