Opinion
2018–14650
09-30-2020
PEOPLE of State of New York, respondent, v. Andre STARKS, appellant.
Janet E. Sabel, New York, N.Y. (Jonathan R. McCoy of counsel), for appellant. Eric Gonzalez, District Attorney, Brooklyn, N.Y. (Leonard Joblove and Morgan J. Dennehy of counsel), for respondent.
Janet E. Sabel, New York, N.Y. (Jonathan R. McCoy of counsel), for appellant.
Eric Gonzalez, District Attorney, Brooklyn, N.Y. (Leonard Joblove and Morgan J. Dennehy of counsel), for respondent.
MARK C. DILLON, J.P., JOSEPH J. MALTESE, BETSY BARROS, FRANCESCA E. CONNOLLY, JJ.
DECISION & ORDER
Appeal by the defendant from an order of the Supreme Court, Kings County (Guy J. Mangano, Jr., J.), dated October 31, 2018, which, after a hearing, designated the defendant a level three sex offender pursuant to Correction Law article 6–C.
ORDERED that the order is affirmed, without costs or disbursements.
Correction Law § 168–n(3) requires a court making a risk level determination pursuant to the Sex Offender Registration Act (Correction Law art 6–C; hereinafter SORA) to "render an order setting forth its determinations and the findings of fact and conclusions of law on which the determinations are based" ( Correction Law § 168–n[3] ). Insofar as relevant here, the Supreme Court did not adequately set forth its findings of fact and conclusions of law. However, since the record is sufficient for this Court to make its own findings of fact and conclusions of law, remittitur is not required (see People v. Arrahman, 144 A.D.3d 1009, 1009, 43 N.Y.S.3d 60 ; People v. Uphael, 140 A.D.3d 1143, 1143–1144, 35 N.Y.S.3d 194 ).
A defendant seeking a downward departure from the presumptive risk level has the initial burden of "(1) identifying, as a matter of law, an appropriate mitigating factor, namely, a factor which tends to establish a lower likelihood of reoffense or danger to the community and is of a kind, or to a degree, that is otherwise not adequately taken into account by the [SORA] Guidelines; and (2) establishing the facts in support of its existence by a preponderance of the evidence" ( People v. Wyatt, 89 A.D.3d 112, 128, 931 N.Y.S.2d 85 ; see People v. Gillotti, 23 N.Y.3d 841, 861, 994 N.Y.S.2d 1, 18 N.E.3d 701 ; see also Sex Offender Registration Act: Risk Assessment Guidelines and Commentary at 4 [2006] [hereinafter Guidelines] ). If the defendant makes that twofold showing, the court must exercise its discretion by weighing the mitigating factor to determine whether the totality of the circumstances warrants a departure to avoid an overassessment of the defendant's dangerousness and risk of sexual recidivism (see People v. Gillotti, 23 N.Y.3d at 861, 994 N.Y.S.2d 1, 18 N.E.3d 701 ; People v. Champagne, 140 A.D.3d 719, 720, 31 N.Y.S.3d 218 ).
Contrary to the defendant's contention, a downward departure on the basis of the defendant's age was not warranted. While advanced age at the time of release may constitute a mitigating factor, the defendant failed to demonstrate that the defendant's age at the time of the SORA hearing, 50 years old, constituted an appropriate mitigating factor and minimized the risk of reoffense (see People v. Adams, 174 A.D.3d 828, 829, 102 N.Y.S.3d 688 ; People v. Lewis, 173 A.D.3d 784, 785–786, 100 N.Y.S.3d 90 ; People v. Munoz, 155 A.D.3d 1068, 1069, 64 N.Y.S.3d 594 ).
Accordingly, we agree with the Supreme Court's determination to designate the defendant a level three sex offender.
DILLON, J.P., MALTESE, BARROS and CONNOLLY, JJ., concur.