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People v. Martinez

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Fourth Department
Mar 17, 1995
213 A.D.2d 1072 (N.Y. App. Div. 1995)

Opinion

March 17, 1995

Appeal from the Monroe County Court, Marks, J.

Present — Denman, P.J., Lawton, Wesley, Balio and Davis, JJ.


Judgment unanimously modified on the law and as modified affirmed and matter remitted to Monroe County Court for further proceedings in accordance with the following Memorandum: The presentence investigation report indicates that, prior to commission of the subject crimes, defendant had been convicted of grand larceny in the fourth degree, a class E felony, and that defendant was a second felony offender. Under the circumstances, the People were required to file a second felony offender statement with the court prior to sentencing, and the court was required to sentence defendant as a second felony offender (see, CPL 400.21). The failure to comply with those statutory mandates renders the sentence invalid as a matter of law (see, People v. Scarbrough, 66 N.Y.2d 673, revg on dissent of Boomer, J., 105 A.D.2d 1107, 1107-1109). We reach the issue sua sponte because an unlawful sentence cannot stand (see, People v Palmeri, 186 A.D.2d 1075; People v. Mohammed, 151 A.D.2d 1018, lv denied 74 N.Y.2d 815; People v. Price, 140 A.D.2d 927, 928; People v. Peale, 122 A.D.2d 353). Thus, we modify the judgment by vacating the sentence (see, CPL 470.15 [c]), and we remit the matter to Monroe County Court so that defendant may withdraw his guilty plea and stand trial or be resentenced in compliance with CPL 400.21. Moreover, because the People's consent to acceptance of the plea was conditioned upon consecutive sentencing and an aggregate minimum imprisonment term of 10 years, the court must entertain a motion by the People, should the People be so disposed, to vacate the plea if the court, on resentencing, is unable to fulfill that portion of its promise (see, People v. Keiffer, 207 A.D.2d 1022).


Summaries of

People v. Martinez

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Fourth Department
Mar 17, 1995
213 A.D.2d 1072 (N.Y. App. Div. 1995)
Case details for

People v. Martinez

Case Details

Full title:THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, Respondent, v. ORLANDO MARTINEZ…

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

Date published: Mar 17, 1995

Citations

213 A.D.2d 1072 (N.Y. App. Div. 1995)
624 N.Y.S.2d 498

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