RESTITUTION ORDERED AT SENTENCING (ABOUT $45OO) WAS ABOUT $500 HIGHER THAN THE AMOUNT AGREED TO IN THE PLEA DEAL, DEFENDANT SHOULD HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO WITHDRAW HIS PLEA (THIRD DEPT).
The Third Department, over a two-justice dissent, determined that defendant is entitled to the opportunity to withdraw his plea because the amount of restitution ordered by the sentencing judge was about $500 higher than the amount ($4100) agreed to in the plea deal:
… “[A] sentencing court may not impose a more severe sentence than one bargained for without providing the defendant the opportunity to withdraw his or her plea” … . Because the restitution imposed exceeds the amount presented by the People to which defendant agreed at the time of the plea and he seeks, among other things, vacatur of the plea, we deem it appropriate to exercise our interest of justice jurisdiction to take corrective action … . Accordingly, we remit the matter for the purpose of allowing defendant to either accept the enhanced restitution amount or give defendant an opportunity to withdraw his plea … . People v Waldron, 2019 NY Slip Op 07116, Third Dept 10-3-19