DEFENDANT’S WAIVER OF APPEAL WAS INVALID; DEFENDANT’S ONE-YEAR SENTENCE, WHICH HAD ALREADY BEEN SERVED, WAS REDUCED BY ONE DAY IN PART TO ADDRESS THE IMMIGRATION CONSEQUENCES OF A ONE-YEAR SENTENCE (SECOND DEPT).
The Second Department, finding the waiver of appeal invalid, reduced defendant’s sentence by one day based in part on the immigration consequences of a one-year sentences:
The defendant’s purported waiver of his right to appeal was invalid because the Supreme Court’s colloquy mischaracterized the appellate rights waived as encompassing an absolute bar to the taking of a direct appeal, and failed to inform the defendant that appellate review remained available for certain issues … . Further, the written waiver form signed by the defendant was insufficient to overcome the deficiencies in the court’s explanation of the waiver of the right to appeal, since it did not contain language clarifying that appellate review remained available for certain issues … . Thus, the purported waiver does not preclude this Court from reviewing the issue of whether the defendant’s sentence was excessive … .
Although the defendant has served his sentence, the question of whether the sentence imposed should be reduced is not academic, since the sentence may have potential immigration consequences … . People v Joseph, 2020 NY Slip Op 05928, Second Dept 10-21-20