| People v Loiz |
| 2019 NY Slip Op 06240 [175 AD3d 872] |
| August 22, 2019 |
| Appellate Division, Fourth Department |
| Published by New York State Law Reporting Bureau pursuant to Judiciary Law § 431. |
| The People of the State of New York,
Respondent, v Jose Loiz, Appellant. (Appeal No. 2.) |
Frank H. Hiscock Legal Aid Society, Syracuse (Sara A. Goldfarb of counsel), for defendant-appellant.
Jose Loiz, defendant-appellant pro se.
William J. Fitzpatrick, District Attorney, Syracuse (Kenneth H. Tyler, Jr., of counsel), for respondent.
Appeal from a resentence of the Onondaga County Court (Joseph E. Fahey, J.), rendered June 2, 2016. Defendant was resentenced upon his conviction of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree.
It is hereby ordered that the resentence so appealed from is modified as a matter of discretion
in the interest of justice by reducing the sentence of imprisonment to a determinate term of seven
years and the period of postrelease supervision to a period of 1
Memorandum: In appeal No. 1, defendant appeals from a judgment convicting him, upon his plea of guilty, of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree (Penal Law § 220.16 [12]). In appeal No. 2, defendant appeals from a resentence imposing a determinate term of 12 years' imprisonment and a period of three years' postrelease supervision (PRS) upon that conviction. We note at the outset that defendant's appellate contentions concern only the resentence in appeal No. 2, and we therefore dismiss the appeal from the judgment in appeal No. 1 (see People v Patterson, 128 AD3d 1377, 1377 [4th Dept 2015]).
With respect to appeal No. 2, we agree with defendant that, under the circumstances of this
case, the resentence is unduly harsh and severe. We therefore modify the resentence as a matter
of discretion in the interest of justice by reducing the sentence of imprisonment to a determinate
term of seven years and the period of PRS to a period of 1
Defendant's remaining contention in his main brief is academic. Finally, inasmuch as defendant failed to obtain leave to appeal from the order denying his CPL 440.10 motion, his contentions in the pro se supplemental brief concerning the denial of that motion are not properly before us (see People v Fuller, 124 AD3d 1394, 1395 [4th Dept 2015], lv denied 25 NY3d 989 [2015]).
All concur except Carni and Curran, JJ., who dissent and vote to modify in accordance with the following memorandum.
Carni and Curran, JJ. (dissenting). We respectfully disagree with the majority's decision in appeal No. 2 to modify the resentence as a matter of discretion in the interest of justice by reducing defendant's sentence of imprisonment. After police found him in possession of over 35 ounces of cocaine, defendant was indicted on counts of, among other things, criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first and third degrees (Penal Law §§ 220.21 [1]; 220.16 [1]). Defendant pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree (Penal Law § 220.16 [12]) in full satisfaction of the indictment in exchange for a sentence that was less than the maximum term of incarceration. Thus, defendant, who faced the risk of multiple felony convictions, obtained a favorable plea bargain that significantly limited his sentencing exposure. We therefore reject defendant's contention that the bargained-for sentence of incarceration is unduly harsh and severe (see generally People v Grucza, 145 AD3d 1505, 1506 [4th Dept 2016]).
We agree with defendant, however, that the period of postrelease supervision should be
reduced to 1