STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLANT,
v.
ALBERT R. BENNETT, APPELLEE
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The State appeals the dismissal of a felony marijuana sale charge. The court holds that the defendant's motion to dismiss, which asserted facts consistent with an entrapment defense, was insufficient as a matter of law to warrant dismissal because he failed to conclusively demonstrate that government agents induced the sale or that he lacked predisposition to commit the crime.
Bennett's motion to dismiss was insufficient to warrant dismissal. The defendant failed to conclusively demonstrate either that the government induced him to sell marijuana on this particular occasion or that he lacked predisposition to commit the crime. Dismissal of the information is reversed.
[1] A defendant may establish a subjective entrapment defense by proving by a preponderance of the evidence that law enforcement induced the defendant to commit the charged o…
[2] When a defendant presents evidence of a lack of predisposition to commit a crime, the burden shifts to the State to rebut that evidence beyond a reasonable doubt.
Previewing 2 of 6 headnotes on this case. FLexlaw’s editorially structured points of law — every proposition, pinpointed — are reserved for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“Government agents may not originate a criminal design, implant in an innocent person's mind the disposition to commit a criminal act, and then induce commission of the crime so that the Government may prosecute. However, an agent deployed to stop the traffic in illegal drugs may offer the opportunity to buy or sell drugs and, if the offer is accepted, make an arrest on the spot or later.”
Establishes the legal standard distinguishing impermissible entrapment from lawful opportunity-providing by government agents in drug cases
Previewing 1 of 3 key quotes on this case — the court’s exact language, pinpointed for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAlbert Bennett was charged with unlawfully selling marijuana to a confidential informant in the presence of an undercover officer. In his motion to di…
The full statement of facts, procedural history, and disposition for this case are member content.
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BLUE, Judge.
The State appeals the dismissal of an information charging Albert Bennett with the sale of marijuana. Because we determine Bennett’s motion to dismiss was not sufficient to warrant dismissal, we reverse.
The State charged by felony information that Bennett “did unlawfully sell a certain controlled substance, to-wit: cannabis, commonly known as marijuana.” In Bennett’s sworn motion to dismiss, offered pursuant to Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.190(c)(4), he admitted buying what appeared to be marijuana and selling it to a confidential informant in the presence of an undercover police officer. Bennett asserted he had no prior criminal record for selling controlled substances and he never tried to sell controlled substances before or after the incident alleged by the State. Bennett’s assertions, even if true, are insufficient to establish an entrapment defense as a matter of law.
In Munoz v. State, 629 So. 2d 90 (Fla.1993), the supreme court held that, in the absence of egregious conduct by law enforcement, the subjective test set forth in section 777.201, Florida Statutes (1987), applies to the issue of entrapment. The court identified a three-part test: first, whether a government agent induced the accused to commit the charged offense; second, whether the accused was predisposed to commit the offense; and third, whether the entrapment evaluation should be submitted to a jury. See Munoz, 629 So. 2d at 99. On the initial question, the defendant has the burden of establishing by a preponderance of the evidence that the government induced him to commit the offense charged. See id. If the first question is answered affirmatively, the defendant then has the burden to establish his lack of predisposition.
Bennett’s allegations, by themselves, failed to conclusively demonstrate either that the government induced him to sell marijuana on this particular occasion or that he lacked the predisposition to commit this crime. As the United States Supreme Court explained in Jacobson v. United States, 503 U.S. 540, 112 S.Ct. 1535, 118 L.Ed.2d 174 (1992):
Government agents may not originate a criminal design, implant in an innocent person’s mind the disposition to commit a criminal act, and then induce commission of the crime so that the Government may prosecute_ [However], an agent deployed to stop the traffic in illegal drugs may offer the opportunity to buy or sell drugs and, if the offer is accepted, make an arrest on the spot or later. In such a typical case, or in a more elaborate ‘sting’ operation involving government-sponsored fencing where the defendant is simply provided with the opportunity to commit a crime, the entrapment defense is of little use because the ready commission of the criminal act amply demonstrates the defendant’s predisposition.
Jacobson, 503 U.S. at 548-50, 112 S.Ct. at 1540-41, quoted in Munoz, 629 So. 2d at 99.
Because Bennett’s sworn motion to dismiss was not sufficient to demonstrate that the government induced him to sell marijuana or that he lacked the predisposition to commit the crime, the dismissal of the information alleging the sale of marijuana by Bennett is reversed.
Reversed and remanded.
CAMPBELL, A.C.J., and FULMER, J., concur.
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Rivera v. State, 180 So. 3d 1195 (Fla. 2d DCA 2015)…a government agent simply provides the defendant “with the opportunity to commit a crime, the entrapment defense is of little use because the ready commission of the criminal act amply demonstrates the defendant’s .predisposition.” State v. Bennett, 710 So. 2d 661, 662 (Fla. 2d DCA 1998) (quoting Jacobson v. United States, 503 U.S. 540, 550, 112 S.Ct. 1535, 118 L.Ed.2d 174 (1992)). Here, Rivera testified that the Cl was aware that Rivera was “hurting” financially and that the Cl called him repeatedly and acte…
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State v. Garcia (Fla. 2d DCA 2022)…]hen a government agent simply provides the defendant 'with the opportunity to commit a crime . . . the ready commission of the criminal act amply demonstrates the defendant's predisposition.' " Rivera, 180 So. 3d at 1197 (quoting State v. Bennett, 710 So. 2d 661, 662 (Fla. 2d DCA 1998)). Here, the State presented evidence that after he learned that "Ashlie" was fourteen years old, Lopez-Garcia asked her several times to send nude photos of herself, repeatedly steered the conversation in a sexual direction—o…
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Perez-Diaz v. Sec'y, Dep't of Corr. (M.D. Fla. 2025)…reward, or pleas based on need, sympathy or friendship," as opposed to showing that the government agent merely provided an opportunity to commit a crime. Id. (citing State v. Henderson, 955 So.2d 1193, 1195 (Fla. 4th DCA 2007) and State v. Bennett, 710 So.2d 661, 662 (Fla. 2d DCA 1998)); see also State v. Harper, 254 So.3d 479, 486 (Fla. 4th DCA 2018) (stating that "[i]nducement cannot be found by prompting or creating an opportunity"). An allegation of lack of predisposition may be supported by factors suc…
Authorities Cited
- Munoz v. State, 629 So. 2d 90 (Fla. 1993)
- Jacobson v. United States, 503 U.S. 540 (U.S. 1992)