NORBERTO CABAN RAMIREZ
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA

Fla. 5th DCA | 2020-01-03
No. 18-3458
Thompson, Emerson R., Jr., Senior Judge, Harris, J., Grosshans, J., Sasso, J.
Florida District Court of Appeal, Fifth District (2020)

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Holding

A defendant cannot be convicted of both grand theft and dealing in stolen property when the crimes arise from one scheme or course of conduct, and stealing property and pawning it two hours later constitutes a single scheme.


Headnotes

[1] Under Florida Statute § 812.025, a defendant cannot be convicted of both grand theft and dealing in stolen property when the crimes arise from a single scheme or course o…

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Key Quotes

“a defendant may be charged with both theft and dealing in stolen property, but cannot be found guilty of both crimes when they are in connection with one scheme or course of conduct”

Court citing Blackmon v. State, 121 So. 3d 535, 541 (Fla. 2013)

Facts & Procedural History

Appellant stole a television and pawned it approximately two hours later. The jury convicted him of both grand theft and dealing in stolen property, a…

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Opinion of the Court
Sasso

IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA

FIFTH DISTRICT

NOT FINAL UNTIL TIME EXPIRES TO

FILE MOTION FOR REHEARING AND

DISPOSITION THEREOF IF FILED

NORBERTO CABAN RAMIREZ,

Appellant,

v. Case No. 5D18-3458

STATE OF FLORIDA,

Appellee.

________________________________/

Opinion filed January 3, 2020

Appeal from the Circuit Court for Orange County, Emerson R. Thompson, Jr., Senior Judge.

James S. Purdy, Public Defender, and Ailene S. Rogers, Assistant Public Defender, Daytona Beach, for Appellant.

Ashley Moody, Attorney General, Tallahassee, and Rebecca

Rock Mcguigan, Assistant Attorney General, Daytona Beach, for Appellee.

PER CURIAM.

Norberto Ramirez (“Appellant”) appeals his convictions for grand theft and dealing in stolen property arguing that his sentence violates section 812.025, Florida Statutes (2018). We agree with Appellant and reverse. The State charged Appellant with three crimes stemming from the theft of a television. At trial, the State presented evidence showing that Appellant stole a television

and pawned it approximately two hours later. Ultimately, the jury found Appellant guilty of grand theft and dealing in stolen property, and the trial court sentenced him on both counts over his objection. This appeal follows. Section 812.025 unambiguously provides that, while an information may charge “theft and dealing in stolen property in connection with one scheme or course of conduct in separate counts that may be consolidated for trial, . . . the trier of fact may return a guilty verdict on one or the other, but not both, of the counts.” Therefore, “a defendant may be charged with both theft and dealing in stolen property, but cannot be found guilty of both crimes” when they are in connection with one scheme or course of conduct. Blackmon v. State, 121 So. 3d 535, 541 (Fla. 2013) (quoting Goddard v. State, 458 So. 2d 230, 233 (Fla. 1984)). Here, Appellant stole a television and pawned it two hours later, and we hold that these actions constituted one scheme or course of conduct for the purposes of section 812.025. Accordingly, Appellant’s dual convictions for dealing in stolen property and grand theft are improper, and we reverse and remand for the trial court to vacate Appellant’s conviction and sentence for the lesser offense of grand theft. See Blocker v. State, 247 So. 3d 649, 650 (Fla. 5th DCA 2018).

REVERSED and REMANDED with instructions. HARRIS, GROSSHANS and SASSO, JJ., concur.


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