Appeal from a judgment of the Ontario County Court (James R. Harvey, J.), rendered March 28, 2001. The judgment convicted defendant, upon a jury verdict, of rape in the first degree (two counts).
It is hereby ordered that the judgment so appealed from be and the same hereby is unanimously affirmed.
Memorandum: Defendant appeals from a judgment of Ontario
Contrary to the further contention of defendant, the court did not err in denying his motion to sever. Under the circumstances of this case, the offenses were joinable under CPL 200.20 (2) (b) because evidence of the rape against one victim would be material and admissible as evidence-in-chief upon the trial of the rape against the other victim, and, once the offenses were properly joined, the court lacked the statutory authority to sever (see People v Fontanez, 278 AD2d 933, 934-935 [2000], lv denied 96 NY2d 862 [2001]). “In any event, the offenses also were ‘the same or similar in law’ (CPL 200.20 [2] [c]), and defendant failed to show good cause for severance” (Fontanez, 278 AD2d at 935). Defendant received effective assistance of counsel (see generally People v Baldi, 54 NY2d 137, 147 [1981]), and the sentence is not unduly harsh or severe. We have reviewed the
