Opinion
05-25-2017
The PEOPLE of the State of new york, Respondent, v. Milton WOOD, Appellant.
Todd G. Monahan, Schenectady, for appellant. P. David Soares, District Attorney, Albany (Vincent Stark of counsel), for respondent.
Todd G. Monahan, Schenectady, for appellant.
P. David Soares, District Attorney, Albany (Vincent Stark of counsel), for respondent.
Before: McCARTHY, J.P., ROSE, DEVINE, CLARK and MULVEY, JJ.
ROSE, J.Appeal from a judgment of the Supreme Court (McDonough, J.), rendered March 8, 2014 in Albany County, convicting defendant upon his plea of guilty of the crime of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree.Defendant was charged in a 10–count indictment with various drug offenses stemming from, among other things, his alleged sale of cocaine on four occasions and the subsequent seizure by law enforcement of drug-related paraphernalia and proceeds, including $1,753.33 in United States currency and a Mercedes–Benz E320 automobile. Thereafter, pursuant to a negotiated plea agreement, defendant pleaded guilty to attempted criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree and executed a written waiver of appeal in open court. Consistent with the terms of the plea agreement, Supreme Court sentenced defendant as a second felony offender to a prison term of 12 years, to be followed by three years of postrelease supervision. Defendant now appeals.
We affirm. Initially, defendant's contentions that Supreme Court should have had him evaluated for inclusion in the judicial diversion program (see CPL art. 216) and that the sentence imposed was harsh and excessive are foreclosed by the unchallenged appeal waiver, which—in any event—the record reflects was knowing, voluntary and intelligent (see People v. Smith, 112 A.D.3d 1232, 1232, 976 N.Y.S.2d 747 [2013], lv. denied 22 N.Y.3d 1203, 986 N.Y.S.2d 423, 9 N.E.3d 918 [2014] ; People v. Roche, 106 A.D.3d 1328, 1329, 965 N.Y.S.2d 245 [2013] ; People v. Ivey, 79 A.D.3d 1531, 1531, 917 N.Y.S.2d 711 [2010], lvs. denied 16 N.Y.3d 856, 859, 923 N.Y.S.2d 418, 421, 947 N.E.2d 1197, 1200 [2011] ; see generally People v. Lopez, 6 N.Y.3d 248, 255–256, 811 N.Y.S.2d 623, 844 N.E.2d 1145 [2006] ). Similarly, to the extent that defendant claims that his counsel was ineffective for failing to advocate for his inclusion in a judicial diversion program, his valid appeal waiver precludes this claim as well (cf. People v. Ivey, 79 A.D.3d at 1532, 917 N.Y.S.2d 711 ).
To the extent that defendant contends that his counsel promised him that he would receive a sentence of less than 12 years in prison, his claim implicates the voluntariness of his plea and survives his valid appeal waiver (see e.g. People v. Dolberry, 147 A.D.3d 1149, 1150, 46 N.Y.S.3d 437 [2017] ). Our review of the record before us, however, does not establish or substantiate defendant's allegation. In addition, to the extent that defendant's claim is based upon off-the-record communications between defendant and counsel regarding the sentence that he was going to receive, such a claim is not properly addressed in this appeal (People v. Fairweather, 147 A.D.3d 1153, 1154, 46 N.Y.S.3d 439 [2017] ; People v. Lewis, 143 A.D.3d 1183, 1185, 40 N.Y.S.3d 605 [2016] ).ORDERED that the judgment is affirmed.
McCARTHY, J.P., DEVINE, CLARK and MULVEY, JJ., concur.