Opinion
13270 Ind. No. 2799/17 Case No. 2019-1992
03-04-2021
Robert S. Dean, Center for Appellate Litigation, New York (Shaina R. Watrous of counsel), for appellant. Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., District Attorney, New York (Jennifer Westphal of counsel), for respondent.
Robert S. Dean, Center for Appellate Litigation, New York (Shaina R. Watrous of counsel), for appellant.
Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., District Attorney, New York (Jennifer Westphal of counsel), for respondent.
Renwick, J.P., Kennedy, Scarpulla, Shulman, JJ.
Judgment, Supreme Court, New York County (Neil E. Ross, J.), rendered January 8, 2019, convicting defendant, after a jury trial, of robbery in the third degree and three counts of grand larceny in the fourth degree, and sentencing him, as a second felony offender, to an aggregate term of 3½ to 7 years, unanimously modified, as a matter of discretion in the interest of justice, to the extent of reducing the sentences to time served, and otherwise affirmed.
The verdict was not against the weight of the evidence ( People v. Danielson, 9 N.Y.3d 342, 349, 849 N.Y.S.2d 480, 880 N.E.2d 1 [2007] ). The evidence supports the inference that defendant intended to use force to accomplish the theft of the victim's wallet, including an effort to forcibly retain the wallet after taking it ( see generally People v. Gordon, 23 N.Y.3d 643, 650, 992 N.Y.S.2d 700, 16 N.E.3d 1178 [2014] ). The testimony of the victim and a surveillance video showed that defendant leaned into or pushed the victim causing him to fall, took his wallet, and then shook his cane at the victim and engaged in a shoving match when the victim confronted him about the theft.
We find that the sentence warrants reduction in the interest of justice to the extent indicated.