THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK RESPONDENT v. THANH VO DEFENDANT APPELLANT (2010)

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

It is hereby ORDERED that the judgment so appealed from is unanimously affirmed.

Memorandum:  Defendant appeals from a judgment convicting him upon a jury verdict of, inter alia, two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree (Penal Law § 220.39[1] ), and four counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree (§ 220.16[1], [12] ).   We reject the contention of defendant that he was denied his right to effective assistance of counsel (see generally People v. Turner, 5 NY3d 476, 480;  People v. Baldi, 54 N.Y.2d 137, 147).   The failure of defense counsel to request an entrapment charge was consistent with his defense strategy that defendant had not sold any drugs (see generally People v. Leigh, 232 A.D.2d 904, 906, lv denied 89 N.Y.2d 1036, 1037), “ ‘and defendant failed to meet his burden of establishing the absence of any legitimate explanations for’ “ that strategy (People v. Douglas, 60 AD3d 1377, 1377, lv denied 12 NY3d 914).

We reject the further contention of defendant that defense counsel was ineffective for failing to move to suppress the contraband recovered when the police stopped his vehicle.  “Defendant has failed to establish that ‘the motion, if made, would have been successful and has failed to establish that counsel failed to provide meaningful

representation' “ (People v. Peterson, 19 AD3d 1015, 1015, lv denied 6 NY3d 851).   Finally, the sentence is not unduly harsh or severe.

Patricia L. Morgan

Clerk of the Court