PEOPLE v. BILUS (2007)

Judgments, Supreme Court, New York County (Budd G. Goodman, J. at plea;  Richard D. Carruthers, J. at sentence), rendered on or about January 20, 2006, convicting defendant of criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree and forgery in the second degree, and sentencing him, as a second felony offender, to consecutive terms of 2 1/212 to 5 years and 2 to 4 years, respectively, unanimously affirmed.

 Defendant made a valid waiver of his right to appeal, both orally and in writing (see People v. Ramos, 7 N.Y.3d 737, 819 N.Y.S.2d 853, 853 N.E.2d 222 [2006] ), which forecloses review of his excessive sentence claim.   The court expressly ascertained from defendant that, as a condition of the plea, he was agreeing to waive his right to appeal, and the court did not treat that right as one of the rights automatically forfeited by a guilty plea (see People v. Lopez, 6 N.Y.3d 248, 256-257, 811 N.Y.S.2d 623, 844 N.E.2d 1145 [2006];  compare People v. Moyett, 7 N.Y.3d 892, 826 N.Y.S.2d 597, 860 N.E.2d 59 [2006] ).   On the contrary, the court clearly informed defendant that he would not be allowed to accept the plea offer unless he also chose to waive his right to appeal.   Were we to find otherwise, we would nevertheless find no basis for reducing the sentence (see People v. Callahan, 80 N.Y.2d 273, 285, 590 N.Y.S.2d 46, 604 N.E.2d 108 [1992] ).