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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>68392</law_id><section_number>19.2-294</section_number><catch_line>Offense against two or more statutes or ordinances</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="19.2">Criminal Procedure</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="17">Convictions; Effect Thereof</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="2">Former Jeopardy</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>If the same act be a violation of two or more <span class="dictionary">statutes</span>, or of two or more <span class="dictionary">ordinances</span>, or of one or more <span class="dictionary">statutes</span> and also one or more <span class="dictionary">ordinances</span>, <span class="dictionary">conviction</span> under one of such <span class="dictionary">statutes</span> or <span class="dictionary">ordinances</span> shall be a bar to a <span class="dictionary">prosecution</span> or proceeding under the other or others. Furthermore, if the same act be a violation of both a state and a federal <span class="dictionary">statute</span>, a <span class="dictionary">prosecution</span> under the federal <span class="dictionary">statute</span> shall be a bar to a <span class="dictionary">prosecution</span> under the state <span class="dictionary">statute</span>. The provisions of this section shall not apply to any <span class="dictionary">offense</span> involving an act of terrorism as defined in &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Definitions" href="/18.2-46.4/">18.2-46.4</a>.
		For purposes of this section, a <span class="dictionary">prosecution</span> under a federal <span class="dictionary">statute</span> shall be deemed to be commenced once jeopardy has attached.</p></section></text><history>Code 1950, &#xA7; 19.1-259; 1960, c. 366; 1975, c. 495; 1987, c. 241; 2002, cc. 588, 623; 2003, c. 736.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
