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PEOPLE’S FAILURE TO PROCURE ANOTHER ACCUSATORY INSTRUMENT AFTER THE COURT REDUCED THE CHARGE RENDERED THE INDICTMENT JURISDICTIONALLY DEFECTIVE, REQUIRING DISMISSAL AFTER TRIAL DESPITE DEFENDANT’S FAILURE TO RAISE THE ISSUE AND THE PRESENTATION OF SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE OF THE REDUCED CHARGE (THIRD DEPT).

The Third Department, reversing the conviction and dismissing the indictment as jurisdictionally defective, determined that the People’s failed to file an instrument with the reduced charged ordered by the judge or seek permission to re-present the case to a grand jury. The fact that error was not raised by the defendant and the fact that the reduced charge was supported by sufficient evidence did not matter in the face of  the insufficient accusatory instrument:

“Where a court acts to reduce a charge contained in an indictment and the People fail within 30 days to take any action in response to this decision, the order directing the reduction shall take effect and the People are obligated, if they intend to pursue a prosecution, to either file an instrument containing the reduced charge or obtain permission to re-present the matter to a grand jury” … . Inasmuch as the People did nothing after County Court ordered a reduction in the remaining count, “the only charge that remained viable after the expiration of the [30-day] stay was the reduced count” of course of sexual conduct against a child in the first degree … . The People never filed a reduced indictment charging that offense, however, and County Court had no independent power to effectuate the reduction via an amendment to the original indictment … . “A valid and sufficient accusatory instrument is a nonwaivable jurisdictional prerequisite to a criminal prosecution,” and the People’s failure to file an indictment charging the reduced count precluded County Court from trying and convicting defendant on it … . People v Stone, 2019 NY Slip Op 01264, Third Dept 2-21-19

 

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