Following a jury trial, defendant appeals as of right from his conviction of first-degree criminal sexual conduct (CSC I), MCL 750.520b(l)(f) (personal injury to victim and use of force or coercion), after having pleaded guilty before trial of third-degree criminal sexual conduct (CSC III), MCL 750.520d(l)(a) (victim at least thirteen and under sixteen years of age), arising from the same incident. Defendant was sentenced to concurrent prison terms of fifteen to thirty years for the CSC I conviction and five to fifteen years for the CSC III conviction. We affirm.
I
Defendant was charged with one count of CSC I (count I) and one count of CSC III (count II). Each count was predicated on alleged penile-vaginal penetration, although count I alleged the use of force or coercion to accomplish the penetration and count II alleged as an aggravating factor that the victim was between the age of thirteen and sixteen. At the preliminary examination, the victim testified only to one sexual penetration. Nevertheless, the district court bound defendant over for trial on both counts I and II. The information filed in the circuit court alleged that defendant was guilty of each count, once again predicated on an alleged penile-vaginal penetration, but the information did not specify whether each count was premised on the same act of penetration. Before trial, defendant pleaded guilty of count II, admitting that the victim was between thirteen and sixteen years old and that he had engaged in one act of sexual penetration with her on the trunk of his car. Before the plea was accepted, defendant testified that the plea was voluntary and not the result of negotiation. The prosecution requested that the trial court take the plea under advisement because it intended to proceed to *46 trial on count I, but the trial court denied the prosecution’s request and accepted defendant’s plea on count II.
During defendant’s trial on count I, the victim testified that defendant threw her to the ground and partially inserted his penis into her vagina once, and that he then threw her onto the trunk of the car where he inserted his finger into her vagina, partially inserted his penis into her vagina twice, and fully inserted his penis into her vagina once. Through cross-examination, defendant was able to identify various inconsistencies between the victim’s preliminary examination testimony and her testimony at trial. At one point during cross-examination, the victim testified that she has attention deficit disorder. Over defendant’s timely objection, the trial court permitted the victim’s school psychologist to testify about the victim’s level of comprehension, that the victim has an IQ of between fifty-five and seventy, and that the victim was “educably mentally impaired.” The trial court also overruled defendant’s timely objection to testimony by the victim’s mother about problems she observed while home schooling the victim and that the victim’s test results showed the victim had very little comprehension, and to testimony by the emergency room nurse who first examined the victim that the victim stated her assailant stopped the car he was driving, pulled her out of the car, threw her against the car, and assaulted her.
The jury convicted defendant of CSC I, and the trial court sentenced defendant to concurrent sentences for his CSC I and CSC III convictions. On appeal, defendant claims that (1) the protections against double jeopardy preclude his conviction and sentence for both CSC I and CSC III, and that his conviction of CSC I should be set aside, (2) he was denied a fair trial and his due process rights were violated when the trial court permitted the chai *47 lenged testimony of the school psychologist, the victim’s mother, and the emergency room nurse, (3) prosecutorial misconduct and instructional error also resulted in a violation of his due process rights and denied him a fair trial, (4) his trial counsel was ineffective, and (5) his sentence was invalid because the sentencing guidelines were improperly scored.
II
We review for plain error unpreserved claims that a defendant’s double jeopardy rights have been violated.
People v Kulpinski,
“Whether a person has been denied effective assistance of counsel is a mixed question of fact and constitutional law.”
People v LeBlanc,
III
Given the facts in this case, defendant’s convictions of both CSC I and CSC III do not violate double jeopardy principles.
*49 The United States and Michigan Constitutions protect a person from being twice placed in jeopardy for the same offense. US Const, Am V; Const 1963, art 1 § 15. The prohibition against double jeopardy provides three related protections: (1) it protects against a second prosecution for the same offense after acquittal; (2) it protects against a second prosecution for the same offense after conviction; and (3) it protects against multiple punishments for the same offense. People v Nutt,469 Mich 565 , 574;677 NW2d 1 (2004) (citations omitted).
Our Supreme Court has held that “[t]he fact that a sexual penetration happens to be accompanied by more than one of the aggravating circumstances enumerated in the [CSC I] statute may well ease the burden upon the prosecution in attaining a conviction under [that statute], but it may give rise to only one criminal charge for purposes of trial, conviction, and sentencing.”
People v Johnson,
Defendant first asserts that because he was convicted of CSC III before his trial on CSC I, by virtue of his plea of guilty, his conviction for CSC I should be vacated on remand as a violation of the rule against successive prosecutions.
Nutt, supra
at 574. We disagree. The rule against successive prosecutions does not apply where a defendant requests separate trials on related offenses.
People v Webb,
Defendant next asserts that the circumstances presented in
Johnson
are present here, that is, that the evidence establishes one sexual penetration accompanied by a number of aggravating circumstances enumerated in the CSC statute requiring that his CSC I conviction be vacated.
2
We note that because defendant did not raise this issue in the trial court, it is unpreserved and reviewed for plain error.
Kulpinski, supra
at 11. After our review of the record, we do not agree that either of defendant’s convictions should be vacated.
3
Despite her testimony at the preliminary examination, at trial the victim testified about being sexually penetrated multiple times by the defendant.
4
Thus, because the Legislature intended to punish separately each criminal sexual penetration, had the defendant proceeded to trial on both the CSC I and CSC III charges and not pleaded guilty of CSC III, the prosecution would not have been required to submit the case to the jury on only one count with alternative theories.
People v Wilson,
IV
The trial court did not abuse its discretion in permitting the victim’s school psychologist to testify about the victim’s IQ and comprehension capabilities. For expert testimony to be admissible, (1) the expert must be qualified, (2) the evidence must provide the fact-finder a better understanding of the evidence or assist in determining a fact in issue, and (3) the evidence must come from a recognized discipline.
People v Coy,
Assuming without deciding that it was error to permit the testimony by the victim’s mother about the victim’s comprehension test results and the mother’s observations of the victim during home schooling, because this evidence was cumulative of the admissible testimony by the psychologist, to the extent this rose to the level of constitutional error, it was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. Smith, supra at 730.
V
The trial court did not abuse its discretion by admitting testimony from the emergency room nurse about the victim’s account of the incident. The testimony was admissible as a statement made for purposes of medical treatment or diagnosis under MRE 803(4). MRE 803(4) provides that the following is not excluded by the hearsay rule:
Statements made for purposes of medical treatment or medical diagnosis in connection with treatment and describing medical history, or past or present symptoms, pain, or sensations, or the inception or general character of the cause or external source thereof insofar as reasonably necessary to such diagnosis and treatment.
In
People v Crump,
VI
While certain remarks of the prosecution were improper, defendant fails to establish plain error that affected his substantial rights.
A. ALLEGED IMPROPER ARGUMENT
Defendant asserts that the prosecution improperly argued that a girl who was menstruating would be unwilling to have sex. The prosecution said in closing argument:
When you think about common sense to [sic], who in their right mind is going to believe this story that a 15 year old girl who’s on her period is the one who’s initiating sexual activity with this defendant? You have got to be kidding to buy into that version of events that this defendant tried to sell from the witness stand today?
The prosecutor did not assert that women are unwilling to have sex while they are menstruating. Rather, the prosecution argued that because the victim was young and menstruating at the time of the incident, it was unlikely that she initiated the sexual activity as the defendant argued. A prosecutor is free to argue all reasonable inferences from the evidence relating to the prosecution’s theory of the case.
People v Knowles,
*54 Defendant also asserts that there was no evidence that the victim received counseling because of the assault, and that the prosecution improperly argued this point. We disagree. The victim testified that she had discussed “a lot of things” on a regular basis with “the rape victim lady,” and that she considered the victim’s advocate to be “in a position of a counselor.” There is no plain error in arguing reasonable inferences from the evidence. Id.
B. ALLEGED IMPROPER DENIGRATION OF DEFENSE
Defendant asserts that the prosecution improperly denigrated the defense in the following remarks in rebuttal argument:
And there’s one other thing I ask you to keep in mind. There are two different schemes at work during a trial. Whereas this is a search for the truth, this side of the courtroom right here, this table is bound by what the evidence is, and present[s] the evidence as it exists, and then argues based on reasonable inferences from that evidence.
That side of the courtroom is bound only by the defendant’s imagination. I suggest to you the story he came up with wasn’t a very good one. Hold him accountable, find him guilty for the crime that he committed. And please return a guilty verdict in this case, thank you.
We agree that these comments rise to the level of plain error because they improperly suggest that evidence presented by the prosecution must be true and, by logical inference, that the prosecutor has special knowledge of the veracity of witnesses.
People v Bahoda,
The defendant also challenges the propriety of the following remark by the prosecution:
My God, is there a worse position to be in than to be a rape victim, than to be on the witness stand being asked minor questions over and over and over again repeatedly?
This comment is related to the prosecution’s argument that the manner in which the victim handled the questions asked of her during the trial supported rather than diminished her credibility, and did not involve any improper denigration of defense counsel. Thus, defendant has not established any plain error by these remarks.
Finally, defendant argues that the prosecutor denigrated the defense by the following remarks:
If she didn’t want her boyfriend to know, another ridiculous argument made by the defense. Well, she’s concerned that her boyfriend is going to find out, so she’s going to take the offensive in this, take the preemptive strike. She’s not going to say anything if she doesn’t want him to find out. Is she going to think that [defendant’s] going to say something? That doesn’t make sense.
While the prosecution’s assertion that the defense argument was ridiculous may have been characterized
*56
differently, a prosecutor need not state arguments in the blandest possible terms.
People v Aldrich,
C. ALLEGED “CIVIC DUTY” REMARKS
In the remarks characterized by defendant as an improper civic duty argument, the prosecutor said:
We live in a time when nobody is accountable for anything any more. But I ask you to hold him accountable for this. It’s an outrageous act, it’s been established beyond a reasonable doubt.
A prosecutor may not argue that jurors should convict a defendant as part of their civic duty.
People v Ackerman,
D. ALLEGED REQUEST FOR CONVICTION ON UNCHARGED OFFENSE
Defendant argues that the prosecution improperly argued to the jury that it could convict defendant of CSC I in this case on the basis of evidence that defendant penetrated the victim’s vagina with his finger during the assault. While the information was predicated wholly on alleged penile-vaginal penetration, not digital penetration, the prosecution’s remarks fail to rise to the level of plain error because the victim testified that defendant engaged in digital as well as penile-vaginal *57 penetration. Moreover, because there was ample evidence of the charged offense of penile-vaginal penetration to warrant defendant’s conviction, any error did not affect the outcome of the trial or seriously affect the fairness, integrity, or public reputation of judicial proceedings. Barber, supra at 296.
E. CUMULATIVE ERROR
Because there was overwhelming evidence of defendant’s guilt and only one instance of plain error, we find no cumulative error requiring reversal.
VII
Defendant waived appellate review of his claims that the trial court erred by failing to instruct the jury on the issue of consent, that the jurors must agree unanimously on a verdict, and by instructing the jury that it could convict defendant if it found beyond a reasonable doubt that there had been digital sexual penetration. In
People v Lueth,
VIII
Defendant has not established a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel. To prove that counsel has been ineffective, defendant must show that his counsel’s performance was deficient, and that there is a reasonable probability that but for that deficient performance,
*58
the result of the trial would have been different.
People v Hoag,
With respect to the one occasion in which we have concluded that prosecutorial misconduct had occurred (the prosecutor’s rebuttal remarks that the prosecution was on a search for truth while the presentation of defendant’s case was limited only by defendant’s imagination), we note that this Court neither substitutes its judgment for that of counsel regarding matters of trial strategy, nor makes an assessment of counsel’s competence with the benefit of hindsight.
People v Rockey,
We next reject defendant’s assertions that his trial counsel was ineffective because counsel (1) failed to request that the jury be instructed on his defense that the victim consented to the sexual penetration, (2) failed to object to the trial court’s instruction to the jury on digital penetration, and (3) failed to challenge defendant’s trial on the CSC I charge as a violation of double jeopardy. We note initially that defendant has given only cursory treatment to these arguments in his brief. “An appellant may not merely announce his position and leave it to this Court to discover and rationalize the basis for his claims, nor may he give only cursory treatment [of an issue] with little or no citation of supporting authority.”
People v Watson,
In any event, defendant’s assertions lack merit. First, the jury was instructed that it could not find defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt unless it found that the sexual penetration had occurred through force or coercion. This instruction “implicitly required the jury to find that the complainant did not consent to sexual intercourse before it could find defendant guilty.”
People v Johnson,
Defendant also asserts that trial counsel was ineffective because defendant pleaded guilty of CSC III with no argument regarding double jeopardy, and because counsel failed to advise the jury of this plea to further bolster counsel’s argument that the victim consented to sexual intercourse with the defendant. Again, defendant makes no citation of authority, and the issue is found to be abandoned.
Watson, supra
at 587. The record also does not demonstrate that defendant entered his plea on the advice of counsel, and, therefore, defendant fails to establish a necessary factual predicate for a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel on this issue.
Wilson, supra
at 362. Additionally, because there was no double jeopardy violation, there was no prejudice to defendant and counsel was not ineffective.
Hawkins, supra
at 457. Moreover, where the evidence obviously points to defendant’s guilt, it can be better tactically to admit guilt and assert a defense or to admit guilt on some charges but maintain innocence on others.
People v Walker,
For all of the reasons herein, defendant has not overcome the presumption that he received effective assistance of counsel. Riley, supra at 140.
IX
Finally, the trial court did not err by assessing fifty points for offense variable (OV) 11. A score of fifty points for OV 11 correlates with two or more criminal sexual penetrations having occurred during the incident underlying the sentence. MCL 777.41(1). Points should not be scored, however, for the one penetration underlying a CSC I conviction. MCL 777.41(2)(c). Accordingly, the evidence must establish at least three sexual penetrations during the incident to support scoring OV 11 at fifty points. Here, the evidence established five instances of sexual penetration during the assault, four involving penile penetration and one involving digital penetration. Therefore, OV ll was properly scored.
Affirmed.
Notes
In both
People v Hill,
The prosecution agrees that one of the defendant’s convictions should be vacated, but contends that it is the CSC ill conviction that should be vacated.
The prosecution’s concession that defendant’s CSC III conviction should be vacated is a form of a “stipulation.”
Eaton Co Bd of Co Rd Comm’rs v Schultz,
See MCL 750.520a(o) (defining “sexual penetration” to include any intrusion “however slight” into another person’s body).
