SENTENCING JUDGE’S MISINFORMATION ABOUT THE LENGTH OF THE PRISON SENTENCE THE JUVENILE OFFENDER COULD RECEIVE IF SHE FAILED TO MEET THE CONDITIONS IMPOSED BY A PLEA AGREEMENT RENDERED THE PLEA INVOLUNTARY, THE MOTION TO WITHDRAW THE PLEA SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED (FIRST DEPT).
The First Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined juvenile defendant’s motion to withdraw her guilty plea should have been granted. Defendant, who was 15, in connection with a robbery charge, was offered a youthful offender adjudication and a conditional discharge if she met certain conditions, including school attendance and curfews, for a year. The sentencing judge told defendant she could face 25 years in prison if she did not meet the conditions. Defendant did not meet the conditions. She moved to withdraw her plea because the judge’s statement she could receive a 25 year sentence was wrong. As a juvenile, the maximum possible sentence was 3 1/2 to 10:
Whether a plea is knowing, intelligent and voluntary is dependent upon a number of factors “including the nature and terms of the agreement, the reasonableness of the bargain, and the age and experience of the accused” … . This Court has repeatedly held that defendants must also be made aware of the sentencing parameters so that they may access the propriety of entering a plea of guilty … . To that end, a defendant’s receipt of inaccurate information regarding her possible sentence exposure is clearly a factor which must be considered by the court on a plea withdrawal motion … . …
That defendant was offered an extremely beneficial plea that would allow her to be afforded youthful offender treatment and avoid incarceration does not, as argued by the People, detract from the fact that defendant was misinformed as to her sentencing exposure. Similarly, that defendant received a lesser sentence than what was promised by the court does not remedy the involuntariness of her plea of guilty … . Under the circumstances presented, it cannot be found that defendant would have accepted the promised plea and entered a plea of guilty, if she had been accurately informed of the sentencing parameters. People v Johnson, 2018 NY Slip Op 02566, First Dept 4-17-18
CRIMINAL LAW (GUILTY PLEA, SENTENCING JUDGE’S MISINFORMATION ABOUT THE LENGTH OF THE PRISON SENTENCE THE JUVENILE OFFENDER COULD RECEIVE IF SHE FAILED TO MEET THE CONDITIONS IMPOSED BY A PLEA AGREEMENT RENDERED THE PLEA INVOLUNTARY, THE MOTION TO WITHDRAW THE PLEA SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED (FIRST DEPT))/GUILTY PLEA, MOTION TO WITHDRAW (SENTENCING JUDGE’S MISINFORMATION ABOUT THE LENGTH OF THE PRISON SENTENCE THE JUVENILE OFFENDER COULD RECEIVE IF SHE FAILED TO MEET THE CONDITIONS IMPOSED BY A PLEA AGREEMENT RENDERED THE PLEA INVOLUNTARY, THE MOTION TO WITHDRAW THE PLEA SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED (FIRST DEPT))/SENTENCE (CRIMINAL LAW, MOTION TO WITHDRAW GUILTY PLEA, SENTENCING JUDGE’S MISINFORMATION ABOUT THE LENGTH OF THE PRISON SENTENCE THE JUVENILE OFFENDER COULD RECEIVE IF SHE FAILED TO MEET THE CONDITIONS IMPOSED BY A PLEA AGREEMENT RENDERED THE PLEA INVOLUNTARY, THE MOTION TO WITHDRAW THE PLEA SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED (FIRST DEPT))/PLEA AGREEMENT CRIMINAL LAW, MOTION TO WITHDRAW GUILTY PLEA, SENTENCING JUDGE’S MISINFORMATION ABOUT THE LENGTH OF THE PRISON SENTENCE THE JUVENILE OFFENDER COULD RECEIVE IF SHE FAILED TO MEET THE CONDITIONS IMPOSED BY A PLEA AGREEMENT RENDERED THE PLEA INVOLUNTARY, THE MOTION TO WITHDRAW THE PLEA SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED (FIRST DEPT))