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Double jeopardy only applies to being tried for the same crime twice. It doesn't prevent you from being tried for a different crime that you committed simultan

Double jeopardy only applies to being tried for the same crime twice. It doesn't prevent you from being tried for a different crime that you committed simultaneously with the one you were acquitted of. You can be acquitted of murder and then tried for conspiracy to commit murder; you can be acquitted of "economic espionage" and then be tried for criminal copyright infringement because they're two separate crimes, though committed in the same act.

rprasad 15y ago
Double jeopardy applies to the same act, not the same crime. You cannot be tried for the same act twice if the case is fully resolved (i.e., it ends with a plea or a verdict or an appeals court renders a decision that "prejudice" shall apply.) This is why prosecutors always overcharge: if they undercharge, they are foreclosed from seeking a conviction on the more serious charges once the case is resolved (whether they win or lose).