Commonwealth v. Rodriguez

In this case we consider whether an acquittal on a charge of receipt of stolen property bars a subsequent prosecution for larceny of the same property. We conclude that principles of double jeopardy are not a bar to such action and that the successive prosecutions here do not violate the equitable principles that must be considered in such cases.

Background and procedure. 1. The Commonwealth’s allegations. In 2012, the defendant went to his friend’s house. While the friend searched for his cellular telephone, he discovered the defendant in his mother’s bedroom, standing in front of her jewelry…