People v. Griffin

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York

Apr 28, 2005

Versions:17 A.D.3d 927

793 N.Y.S.2d 649

2005 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 4481

In satisfaction of an indictment charging defendant with three counts of the crime of robbery in the second degree, he pleaded guilty to the crime of attempted robbery in the second degree and waived his right to appeal. After he was denied youthful offender status, he was sentenced in accordance with the negotiated plea agreement to a prison term of 3¹/2 years, to be followed by two years of postrelease supervision. On appeal, defendant contends that County Court erred by prematurely denying his request for youthful offender treatment before receipt of the presentence investigation report and without consideration of all appropriate factors.

Although we have held that a valid waiver of the right to appeal does not encompass the sentencing court‘s failure to determine whether an eligible youth is a youthful offender as mandated by CPL 720.20 (see People v Harrington, 281 AD2d 748, 748-749 [2001], lv denied 96 NY2d 830 [2001]), defendant‘s challenge here is not to the legality of the sentence, but to “the procedures utilized in determining and imposing [the] sentence” (People v Callahan, 80 NY2d 273, 281 [1992]). Thus, as a challenge to the denial of a request for youthful offender treatment, it is precluded by his waiver of the right to appeal (see People v Vedder, 1 AD3d 803, 804 [2003], lv denied 1 NY3d 602 [2004]; People v Paolucci, 307 AD2d 479, 479-480 [2003]). Were we to consider the issue, we would note that County Court stated that it would consider defendant‘s request once the presentence investigation report was submitted, but also warned that defendant was an unlikely candidate and should not enter a plea expecting to receive youthful offender treatment. Inasmuch as County Court ultimately denied defendant‘s request only after it had reviewed the presentence investigation report, we would find no error (see People v Harrington, supra at 748-749; People v Defino, 200 AD2d 907, 908 [1994], lv denied 83 NY2d 851 [1994]).

Defendant‘s contention that County Court also failed to consider certain mitigating circumstances when it denied his request for youthful offender status is a challenge to the court‘s exercise of its discretion and, therefore, it too does not survive his waiver of the right to appeal (see People v Baker, 6 AD3d 751, 751 [2004]; People v Walrath, 285 AD2d 674, 674 [2001]).

Mercure, J.P., Spain, Carpinello and Kane, JJ., concur. Ordered that the judgment is affirmed.