PEOPLE v. SALLARD (2019)

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

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

Memorandum: On appeal from a judgment convicting him upon his plea of guilty of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree (Penal Law § 265.03[3]), defendant contends that his waiver of the right to appeal was not knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily entered. We reject that contention. “County 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 conflate that right with those automatically forfeited by a guilty plea” (People v. McCrea, 140 A.D.3d 1655, 1655, 32 N.Y.S.3d 778 [4th Dept. 2016], lv denied 28 N.Y.3d 933, 40 N.Y.S.3d 361, 63 N.E.3d 81 [2016] [internal quotation marks omitted]; see generally People v. Lopez, 6 N.Y.3d 248, 256, 811 N.Y.S.2d 623, 844 N.E.2d 1145 [2006]). Defendant's contention that the court erred in denying his motion to withdraw the plea survives the valid waiver of the right to appeal (see People v. Walcott, 164 A.D.3d 1593, 1593, 82 N.Y.S.3d 762 [4th Dept. 2018], lv denied 32 N.Y.3d 1116, 91 N.Y.S.3d 367, 115 N.E.3d 639 [2018]), but we conclude that it is without merit. Defendant's statements during the plea colloquy belie his later assertions of innocence (see id.; see generally People v. Dixon, 29 N.Y.2d 55, 57, 323 N.Y.S.2d 825, 272 N.E.2d 329 [1971]).

Defendant's further contention that the court failed to make a sufficient inquiry into his request for substitution of counsel “is encompassed by the plea and the waiver of the right to appeal except to the extent that the contention implicates the voluntariness of the plea” (People v. Morris, 94 A.D.3d 1450, 1451, 942 N.Y.S.2d 725 [4th Dept. 2012], lv denied 19 N.Y.3d 976, 950 N.Y.S.2d 358, 973 N.E.2d 768 [2012] [internal quotation marks omitted] ). In any event, we conclude that defendant's contention is without merit (see People v. Bethany, 144 A.D.3d 1666, 1669, 42 N.Y.S.3d 495 [4th Dept. 2016], lv denied 29 N.Y.3d 996, 57 N.Y.S.3d 717, 80 N.E.3d 410 [2017], cert denied 584 U.S. ––––, 138 S. Ct. 1571, 200 L.Ed.2d 760 [2018]; see generally People v. Sides, 75 N.Y.2d 822, 824–825, 552 N.Y.S.2d 555, 551 N.E.2d 1233 [1990]). Finally, the valid waiver of the right to appeal encompasses defendant's challenges to the suppression ruling (see People v. Sanders, 25 N.Y.3d 337, 342, 12 N.Y.S.3d 593, 34 N.E.3d 344 [2015]; People v. Sampson, 156 A.D.3d 1484, 1484, 65 N.Y.S.3d 844 [4th Dept. 2017], lv denied 31 N.Y.3d 1017, 78 N.Y.S.3d 287, 102 N.E.3d 1068 [2018]) and the severity of the sentence (see People v. Johnson [Appeal No. 1], 169 A.D.3d 1366, 1366, 92 N.Y.S.3d 770 [4th Dept. 2019], lv denied 33 N.Y.3d 949, 100 N.Y.S.3d 165, 123 N.E.3d 824 [2019]; see generally Lopez, 6 N.Y.3d at 255, 811 N.Y.S.2d 623, 844 N.E.2d 1145).