People v. Lopez-Alvarado

• Decision Date: 19 April 2017
• Citation: 52 N.Y.S.3d 418,149 A.D.3d 981
• Parties: The PEOPLE, etc., respondent, v. Reynaldo LOPEZ–ALVARADO, appellant.
• Court: New York Supreme Court — Appellate Division

149 A.D.3d 981

52 N.Y.S.3d 418

The PEOPLE, etc., respondent,

v.Reynaldo LOPEZ–ALVARADO, appellant.

Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Second Department, New York.

April 19, 2017.

Christopher J. Cassar, P.C., Huntington, NY, for appellant.

Thomas J. Spota, District Attorney, Riverhead, NY (Grazia DiVincenzo of counsel), for respondent.

RUTH C. BALKIN, J.P., CHERYL E. CHAMBERS, ROBERT J. MILLER, and VALERIE BRATHWAITE NELSON, JJ.

Appeal by the defendant from a judgment of the County Court, Suffolk County (Toomey, J.), rendered October 25, 2013, convicting him of attempted assault in the second degree, upon his plea of guilty, and imposing sentence.

ORDERED that the matter is remitted to the County Court, Suffolk County, to afford the defendant an opportunity to move to vacate his plea in accordance herewith, and for a report thereafter on any such motion, and the appeal is held in abeyance in the interim. The County Court, Suffolk County, shall file its report with all convenient speed.

The defendant contends that his plea of guilty was not knowing, voluntary, and intelligent because the record demonstrates that the County Court did not sufficiently advise him that he may be deported as a consequence of his plea.

In People v. Peque , 22 N.Y.3d 168, 980 N.Y.S.2d 280, 3 N.E.3d 617, the Court of Appeals held that, as part of its independent obligation to ascertain whether a defendant is pleading guilty voluntarily, a trial court must alert a noncitizen defendant that he or she may be deported as a consequence of the plea of guilty (see id. at 193, 980 N.Y.S.2d 280, 3 N.E.3d 617 ). Although no particular litany is required, "[t]he trial court must provide a short, straightforward statement on the record notifying the defendant that, in sum and substance, if the defendant is not a United States citizen, he or she may be deported upon a guilty plea" (id. at 197, 980 N.Y.S.2d 280, 3 N.E.3d 617 ).

Here, we agree with the defendant that the County Court did not provide him with such a statement on the record. However, contrary to the defendant's contention, he is not entitled to reversal of the judgment of conviction at this juncture. In order to withdraw or obtain vacatur of a plea based upon a Peque error, "a defendant must show that there is a reasonable probability that he or she would not have pleaded guilty and would have gone to trial had the trial court informed the defendant of potential deportation" (id. at 198, 980 N.Y.S.2d 280, 3 N.E.3d 617 ). Accordingly, we remit the matter to the County Court, Suffolk County, to afford the defendant an opportunity to move to vacate his plea, and for a report by the County Court thereafter. Any such motion shall be made by the defendant within 60 days after the date of this decision and order, and upon such motion, the defendant shall have the burden of establishing that there is a "reasonable probability" that he would not have pleaded guilty had the court advised him of the possibility of deportation (id. at 176, 980 N.Y.S.2d 280, 3 N.E.3d 617 ; see People v. Dennis, 140 A.D.3d 789, 790, 30 N.Y.S.3d 893 ; People v. Odle, 134 A.D.3d 1132, 1133, 21 N.Y.S.3d 727 ; People v. Al–Muwallad, 121 A.D.3d 1123, 1124, 995...