This appeal is from the judgment of sentence imposed after appellant pled guilty to five counts of robbery and three counts of criminal conspiracy. Appellant contends that: (1) the double jeopardy clause of the United States Constitution was violated when the trial court increased his sentence; (2) the trial court erred by basing the increase in his sentence on uncorroborated statements by the prosecution; and (3) the trial court erred by increasing his sentence without a showing of any change in circumstances. We disagree with appellant, and, accordingly, affirm the judgment of sentence.
On March 21, 1983, appellant pled guilty to five counts of robbery and three counts of criminal conspiracy. He was sentenced to five concurrent terms of five to ten years imprisonment on May 10, 1983. The Commonwealth on May 12, 1983, filed a petition to reconsider the sentence. Following a hearing on the petition on May 19, 1983, the sentencing court vacated one of the concurrent sentences and made it consecutive to the other four sentences. Appellant did not file a motion to modify the new sentence. This appeal timely followed.
All of appellant’s claims involve the propriety of the sentence imposed on May 19, 1983. We note that the
Pa.R.Crim.P. 1410 requires that a motion to modify sentence be filed with the sentencing court within ten days after imposition of sentence. Failure to file such a motion waives all sentencing issues, except those involving the legality of the sentence. See
Commonwealth v. Warden,
The question that presents itself instantly is whether a second Rule 1410 motion must be filed if a party wishes to challenge a sentence that has already been modified pursuant to Rule 1410. This question could arise if a party is dissatisfied with a sentence that was modified pursuant to its own motion or, as in the instant case, pursuant to a motion by the other party. In either case, although Rule 1410 makes no express provision for the filing of an additional motion, we believe the purposes behind the rule require such a construction.
A modified sentence constitutes a new sentence from the date of which the time for filing a notice of appeal will begin to run anew. See Pa.R.Crim.P. 1410 (comment). The same reasons that supported the filing of a modification motion in regard to the original sentence support the filing of such a motion for the new sentence. If the party who filed the original motion is still dissatisfied with the sentence, a second motion gives the sentencing court the first opportunity to modify the new sentence. Similarly, the trial court will have that opportunity if, as is the case instantly, the party who did not file the original motion is
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We now turn to the merits of this appeal. Appellant first contends that the double jeopardy clause of the United States Constitution, 1 in its protection against multiple punishments for the same offense, 2 prohibited the sentencing court from modifying his sentence so as to increase his punishment. 3
This issue was decided adversely to appellant in the case of
Commonwealth v. Anderson,
In fact, the Supreme Court of the United States has held that a federal statute permitting the government to seek an increased sentence on appeal does not violate principles of double jeopardy. United States v. DiFrancesco,449 U.S. 117 ,101 S.Ct. 426 ,66 L.Ed.2d 328 (1980). The “Double Jeopardy Clause does not require that a sentence be given a degree of finality that prevents [review and] later increase.” Id. at 137,101 S.Ct. at 437 ,66 L.Ed.2d at 346 . “The Constitution does not require that sentencing should be a game in which a wrong move by the judge means immunity for the prisoner.” Id. at 135,101 S.Ct. at 436 ,66 L.Ed.2d at 344 , quoting from Bozza v. United States,330 U.S. 160 , 166-167,67 S.Ct. 645 , 648-649,91 L.Ed. 818 , 822 (1947).
Anderson,
304 Pa.Superior Ct. at 481,
Appellant next argues that the sentencing court erred in relying on uncorroborated statements by the prosecutor during the modification hearing as a basis for increasing appellant’s sentence. During the hearing, the prosecutor made statements concerning the factual bases of appellant’s prior convictions. Appellant contends that the court should not have relied on these statements absent corroboration in the form of official records of the prior convictions or testimony by a person with firsthand knowledge of the facts of the case.
In support of this proposition, he relies on the case of
Commonwealth v. Schwartz,
This is precisely the opportunity that was afforded appellant in the case sub judice. The prosecutor made her statements in open court and appellant did not (nor does he now) dispute their accuracy.
As we stated in
Schwartz,
“[a] sentencing judge ‘may appropriately conduct an inquiry broad in scope, largely unlimited either as to the kind of information he may consider, or the source from which it may come.’
United States v. Tucker,
Appellant’s final contention is twofold. He argues that the sentencing judge failed to state his reasons for modifying the sentence on the record and that, in any event, there was no change in circumstances between the date of the original sentence and the state of the modification hearing justifying the increase. We disagree with appellant as to both points.
While we agree that the case of
Commonwealth v. Riggins,
[WJhenever a judge imposes a more severe sentence upon a defendant after a new trial, the reasons for his doing so must affirmatively appear. Those reasons must be based upon objective information concerning identifiable conduct on the part of the defendant occurring after the time of the original sentencing proceeding. And the factual data upon which the increased sentence is based must be made part of the record, so that the constitutional legitimacy of the increased sentence may be fully reviewed on appeal.
North Carolina v. Pearce, 395 U.S. [711], at 726, 89 S.Ct. [2072] at 2081, 23 L.Ed.2d [656] at 670 [1969]. The reason for this is primarily to protect the defendant from any vindictiveness on the part of the judge at the second trial
Commonwealth v. DeCaro,
DeCaro
is obviously distinguishable from the instant case on the basis that the more severe sentence was imposed not after a new trial, but after a modification hearing and the dangers present there are not present here.
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We see no reason why the sentencing court, pursuant to a motion under Rule 1410, cannot simply reconsider exactly the same facts and circumstances of the case previously considered and conclude that they warrant a different
Finding all of appellant’s issues to be without merit, we must affirm the judgment of sentence.
Accordingly, the judgment of sentence is affirmed.
Notes
. U.S. Const. Amend. V.
. See
Brown v. Ohio,
. Such a double jeopardy claim raises the issue of the lawfulness of appellant’s sentence. See
Commonwealth v. Walker,
. We note that appellant argues that nature of the past offenses was contained in the pre-sentence report.
. A Rule 1410 motion by the Commonwealth, of course, presents no question of vindictiveness by the trial court for any action by the defendant. In the case of a Rule 1410 motion by the defendant, the court could not increase the sentence since it cannot raise issues
sua sponte. Commonwealth v. Murphy,
