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People v. Benjamin

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Fourth Department
Mar 13, 1992
181 A.D.2d 1059 (N.Y. App. Div. 1992)

Opinion

March 13, 1992

Appeal from the Cayuga County Court, Corning, J.

Present — Green, J.P., Pine, Balio, Lawton and Davis, JJ.


Judgment unanimously modified on the law and as modified affirmed and matter remitted to Cayuga County Court for further proceedings in accordance with the following Memorandum: The People concede that defendant was denied his right to allocution at sentencing and thus that the matter must be remitted to County Court so that defendant may be resentenced.

There is no merit to defendant's argument that the court was required to adhere to its original sentence promise. Defendant was charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree. He was allowed to plead guilty to criminal sale of a controlled substance in the fourth degree, for which he could have received a sentence of up to 15 years in State prison. He was promised a one-year sentence in the County Jail. The court was aware that defendant had previously been adjudicated a youthful offender. After receiving the presentence investigation, the court stated that it could not adhere to the agreement because of appellant's record, attitude and crime. Defendant was given the opportunity to withdraw his plea and go to trial or to let the plea stand and receive a sentence of one to four years incarceration. The presentence investigation indicates that defendant, when questioned about his involvement in the offense to which he pled guilty, made no comment other than to tell the probation officer that the offense was "a bunch of shit." The court did not err in refusing to carry out its initial promise under those circumstances, where the presentence investigation revealed new information concerning defendant's attitude (see, People v Selikoff, 35 N.Y.2d 227, cert denied 419 U.S. 1122; People v Jones, 99 A.D.2d 1, 3-4; see also, People v Carner, 142 A.D.2d 789, lv denied 72 N.Y.2d 955; People v Powers, 134 A.D.2d 736).


Summaries of

People v. Benjamin

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Fourth Department
Mar 13, 1992
181 A.D.2d 1059 (N.Y. App. Div. 1992)
Case details for

People v. Benjamin

Case Details

Full title:THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, Respondent, v. TIMOTHY BENJAMIN…

Court:Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Fourth Department

Date published: Mar 13, 1992

Citations

181 A.D.2d 1059 (N.Y. App. Div. 1992)

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