Appeal from a judgment of the County Court of Washington County (Berke, J.), rendered May 15, 1992, upon a verdict convicting defendant of the crimes of sexual abuse in the first degree (three counts) and attempted grand larceny in the third degree.
After a jury trial defendant was convicted on all counts of an indictment which charged him with three counts of sexual abuse in the first degree, criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree and attempted grand larceny in the third degree. County Court granted defendant’s motion pursuant to CPL 440.10 (1) (a) to vacate the conviction of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree. Defendant was sentenced as a second felony offender to indeterminate prison terms of 3 Vi to 7 years on each count of sexual abuse in the first degree and 2 to 4 years for the attempted grand larceny in the third degree conviction, all to run consecutively.
Defendant first contends that the indictment is defective because it did not provide sufficient specificity as to the time period alleged for each count of sexual abuse in the first degree. The indictment alleges that two of the incidents, which involved a girl who was then 10 years old, occurred "during the month of June, 1989” and "during the spring of 1989”. The third incident, involving a boy who was then six years old, was alleged to have occurred "during the summer of 1989”. When, as in this case, time is not an essential element of the crime, the indictment may allege the time in approximate terms provided that sufficient specificity to adequately prepare a defense has been afforded to defendant by the indictment and the bill of particulars (see, People v Morris, 61
Defendant next contends that evidence adduced at trial was not legally sufficient to establish his guilt. As to the sexual abuse charges, defendant’s argument is premised largely upon the theory that corroboration of the victim’s testimony was required pursuant to Penal Law § 130.16. In 1984, however, the Legislature amended Penal Law § 130.16 so that corroboration is no longer required in cases where, as here, the incapacity to consent results solely from the victim’s age (L 1984, ch 89, § 1; see, People v Hudy,
As to the conviction of attempted grand larceny in the third degree, we reach a contrary conclusion. According to the indictment, defendant attempted to steal more than $3,000 in cash from Colleen Bolden by attempting to obtain a mortgage on property solely owned by Colleen Bolden without her consent. The People presented evidence from which the jury could find that defendant telephoned an independent mortgage broker to apply for a home equity loan to be secured by a mortgage on property that defendant claimed to own jointly
Grand larceny in the third degree is committed when a person steals property valued at more than $3,000 (Penal Law § 155.35). Pursuant to Penal Law § 155.05 (1), "[a] person steals property and commits larceny when, with intent to deprive another of property or to appropriate the same to himself or to a third person, he wrongfully takes, obtains or withholds such property from an owner thereof’. As previously noted, the indictment alleges that defendant attempted to steal cash from Bolden, but there is no evidence that Bolden would have had a greater right of possession to the proceeds of the loan than defendant (see, Penal Law § 155.00 [5]). That Bolden had a greater right of possession than defendant to the real property which was to serve as the security for the loan did not establish that Bolden had a greater right of possession of the proceeds of the loan than defendant, who was a co-applicant for the loan. The People contend that the value of Bolden’s real property would have been reduced by more than $3,000 if the mortgage had been executed, but a forged mortgage would have been ineffective to encumber her interest in the property (see, V.R.W., Inc. v Klein,
We have considered defendant’s remaining arguments and find them meritless.
Mikoll, J. P., Yesawich Jr., Mercure and Crew III, JJ., concur. Ordered that the judgment is modified, on the law, by
