Opinion
1999-02914
Submitted March 12, 2002.
April 15, 2002.
Appeal by the defendant from a judgment of the Supreme Court, Kings County (Gary, J.), rendered February 18, 1999, convicting him of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree, upon a jury verdict, and imposing sentence.
Lynn W. L. Fahey, New York, N.Y. (Barbara Lerner of counsel), for appellant.
Eliot Spitzer, Attorney-General, New York, N.Y. (Robin A. Forshaw, Bonnie H. Stein, and Deborah F. Nathan of counsel), for respondent.
Before: DAVID S. RITTER, J.P., CORNELIUS J. O'BRIEN, GABRIEL M. KRAUSMAN, THOMAS A. ADAMS, JJ.
ORDERED that the judgment is affirmed.
The defendant's contention that the trial court erred in ruling that the People could adduce proof of prior crimes previously committed by the defendant in order to prove intent is without merit. When fraudulent intent is an issue, evidence of other similar acts is admissible to negate the existence of an innocent state of mind (see People v. Molineux, 168 N.Y. 264, 297-298; People v. Alvino, 71 N.Y.2d 233, 242). Furthermore, evidence of prior similar crimes is particularly probative of guilt with respect to charges involving forgery (see People v. Knox, 126 A.D.2d 748).
RITTER, J.P., O'BRIEN, KRAUSMAN and ADAMS, JJ., concur.