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AS PART OF A PLEA BARGAIN, THE JUDGE PROMISED TO ORDER DEFENDANT TO BE ENROLLED IN THE COMPREHENSIVE ALCOHOL AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT (CASAT) PROGRAM; BECAUSE DEFENDANT WAS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR THE PROGRAM, HIS MOTION TO VACATE HIS GUILTY PLEA SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED (THIRD DEPT).

The Third Department, reversing County Court, determined defendant’s motion to vacate his guilty plea should have been granted. The judge’s promise to order defendant to be enrolled in the CASAT (comprehensive alcohol and substance abuse treatment) program was central to defendant’s plea bargain. The program was not available to the defendant because he was not convicted of a drug-related offense:

… County Court promised to order him to be enrolled in CASAT, a promise that could not be fulfilled because CASAT is only available to individuals convicted of drug-related offenses (see Penal Law § 60.04 [6]). We agree. “A guilty plea induced by an unfulfilled promise either must be vacated or the promise honored” … . Defendant was not enrolled in CASAT as he was not statutorily eligible for participation (see Penal Law § 60.04 [6] …), so the promise cannot be honored. Moreover, the record reflects that the mandate for CASAT enrollment was “part and parcel of defendant’s plea agreement” … . Thus, defendant is entitled to vacatur of his guilty plea … . People v Robinson, 2025 NY Slip Op 05125, Third Dept 9-25-25

Practice Point: Here defendant was promised, as part of a plea bargain, enrollment in the CASAT program. It turned out he was not eligible for the program. Because the program was “part and parcel of defendant’s plea agreement,” defendant was entitled to vacatur of his guilty plea.

 

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