People v. Tetro

• Decision Date: 20 March 2020
• Docket Number: KA 15–01963,26
• Parties: The PEOPLE of the State of New York, Respondent, v. David TETRO, Jr., Defendant–Appellant.
• Court: New York Supreme Court — Appellate Division

181 A.D.3d 1286

119 N.Y.S.3d 788

The PEOPLE of the State of New York, Respondent,

v.David TETRO, Jr., Defendant–Appellant.

26

KA 15–01963

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

Entered: March 20, 2020

D.J. & J.A. CIRANDO, PLLC, SYRACUSE (JOHN A. CIRANDO OF COUNSEL), FOR DEFENDANT–APPELLANT.

DAVID TETRO, JR., DEFENDANT–APPELLANT PRO SE.

LETITIA JAMES, ATTORNEY GENERAL, ALBANY (LISA E. FLEISCHMANN OF COUNSEL), FOR RESPONDENT.

PRESENT: PERADOTTO, J.P., CARNI, CURRAN, WINSLOW, AND DEJOSEPH, JJ.

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

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

Memorandum: In this prosecution arising from allegations that defendant and his codefendant took advantage of an elderly woman—whom they had befriended and provided with care—by liquidating her assets and appropriating her funds for their own use, defendant appeals from a judgment convicting him upon a jury verdict of grand larceny in the second degree ( Penal Law § 155.40[1] ), welfare fraud in the third degree (§ 158.15), and offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree (former § 175.35). We affirm.

Defendant contends in his main and pro se supplemental briefs that he was deprived of a fair trial by County Court's purported failure to adequately control the proceedings, as evidenced by certain exchanges between the court and defense counsel, and by the court's intemperate and denigrating remarks, which allegedly impressed upon the jury that the court held an unfavorable opinion of defense counsel and defendant. Defendant failed to preserve that contention for our review (see People v. Charleston, 56 N.Y.2d 886, 887–888, 453 N.Y.S.2d 399, 438 N.E.2d 1114 [1982] ; People v. Fudge, 104 A.D.3d 1169, 1170, 960 N.Y.S.2d 792 [4th Dept. 2013], lv denied 21 N.Y.3d 1042, 972 N.Y.S.2d 539, 995 N.E.2d 855 [2013] ). In any event, defendant's contention lacks merit. The record establishes that the court properly intervened "to keep the proceedings within the reasonable confines of the issues and to encourage clarity rather than obscurity in the development of proof" ( People v. Moulton, 43 N.Y.2d 944, 945, 403 N.Y.S.2d 892, 374 N.E.2d 1243 [1978] ; see People v. Gonzalez, 38 N.Y.2d 208, 210–211, 379 N.Y.S.2d 397, 341 N.E.2d 822 [1975] ). Although the court, at times, criticized defense counsel's conduct in the presence of the jury and made some intemperate remarks "that would better have been left unsaid," we conclude upon our review of the record as a whole that "the jury was not prevented from arriving at an impartial judgment on the merits" ( Moulton, 43 N.Y.2d at 946, 403 N.Y.S.2d 892, 374 N.E.2d 1243 ; see People v. Oquendo, 152 A.D.3d 1220, 1220, 57 N.Y.S.3d 872 [4th Dept. 2017], lv denied 30 N.Y.3d 982, 67 N.Y.S.3d 584, 89 N.E.3d 1264 [2017] ; People v. Majors, 64 A.D.3d 1085, 1087, 883 N.Y.S.2d 641 [3d Dept. 2009], lv denied 13 N.Y.3d 860, 891 N.Y.S.2d 695, 920 N.E.2d 100 [2009] ; People v. Martinez, 35 A.D.3d 156, 157, 825 N.Y.S.2d 200 [1st Dept. 2006], lv denied 8 N.Y.3d 924, 834 N.Y.S.2d 515, 866 N.E.2d 461 [2007] ).

Defendant also contends in his main brief that the court committed reversible error by depriving him of the constitutional right to counsel when it prohibited him from communicating with defense counsel about his testimony during overnight recesses while defendant was in the midst of testifying in his defense. Defendant failed to preserve that contention for our review inasmuch as defense counsel was " ‘present and available to register a protest’ to [the] restriction on communication that would [have] provide[d] the court with an opportunity to rectify its error" but did not make a timely protest ( People v. Umali, 10 N.Y.3d 417, 423, 859 N.Y.S.2d 104, 888 N.E.2d 1046 [2008], rearg. denied 11 N.Y.3d 744, 864 N.Y.S.2d 386, 894 N.E.2d 651 [2008], cert denied 556 U.S. 1110, 129 S.Ct. 1595, 173 L.Ed.2d 685 [2009] ; see People v. Narayan, 54 N.Y.2d 106, 112–114, 444 N.Y.S.2d 604, 429 N.E.2d 123 [1981] ; People v. Tetro, 175 A.D.3d 1784, 1787, 109 N.Y.S.3d 776 [4th Dept. 2019] ). Under the circumstances of this case, we decline to exercise our power to review that contention as a matter of discretion in the interest of justice (see CPL 470.15[6][a] ; People v. Stewart, 68 A.D.3d 1438, 1440, 892 N.Y.S.2d 570 [3d Dept. 2009], lv denied 14 N.Y.3d 773, 898 N.Y.S.2d 105, 925 N.E.2d 110 [2010] ). Contrary to defendant's related contention in his main brief, we conclude under the circumstances of this case that defense counsel's failure to timely object to the prohibition on communication was not so "egregious and prejudicial as to compromise ... defendant's right to a fair trial" ( People v. Caban, 5 N.Y.3d 143, 152, 800 N.Y.S.2d 70, 833 N.E.2d 213 [2005] ; see Stewart, 68 A.D.3d at 1440, 892 N.Y.S.2d 570 ).

Defendant further contends in his main and pro se supplemental briefs that the evidence is not legally sufficient to support the conviction and that the verdict is against the weight of the evidence. Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the People (see People v. Gordon, 23 N.Y.3d 643, 649, 992 N.Y.S.2d 700, 16 N.E.3d 1178 [2014] ), we conclude that the evidence is legally sufficient to support the conviction (see generally People v. Bleakley, 69 N.Y.2d 490, 495, 515 N.Y.S.2d 761, 508 N.E.2d 672 [1987] ). Furthermore, viewing the evidence in light of the elements of the crimes as charged to the jury (see People v. Danielson, 9 N.Y.3d 342, 349, 849 N.Y.S.2d 480, 880 N.E.2d 1 [2007] ), we also reject defendant's contention that the verdict is against the weight of the evidence (see generally Bleakley, 69 N.Y.2d at 495, 515 N.Y.S.2d 761, 508 N.E.2d 672 ). The jury was entitled to credit the testimony of the People's witnesses, including that of the victim, over the testimony of defendant's witnesses, including that of defendant himself, and we perceive no reason to disturb those credibility determinations (see Tetro, 175 A.D.3d at 1788, 109 N.Y.S.3d 776 ).

Defendant further contends in his main brief that he was denied meaningful representation. We conclude, however, that defendant "failed to ‘demonstrate the absence of strategic or other legitimate explanations’ for counsel's alleged shortcomings," and that, upon objective evaluation, it cannot be said that defense counsel's strategy was "inconsistent with the actions of a reasonably competent attorney" ( People v. Henderson, 27 N.Y.3d 509, 513–514, 35 N.Y.S.3d 274, 54 N.E.3d 1145 [2016] ; see Martinez, 35 A.D.3d at 157, 825 N.Y.S.2d 200 ). Although we agree with defendant that defense counsel on various occasions employed boorish, hostile, intolerant, and unprofessional remarks and questions, we nonetheless conclude that, contrary to defendant's assertion, " ‘[t]here is no indication that [defense] counsel's style of trying the case prevented defendant from receiving a fair trial’ " ( Martinez, 35 A.D.3d at 157, 825 N.Y.S.2d 200 ; see People v. Calderon, 55 A.D.3d 321, 323, 864 N.Y.S.2d 419 [1st Dept. 2008] ). We note that the court repeatedly instructed the jury that remarks of counsel did not constitute evidence and further instructed that the jury was not to allow any objectionable remarks by counsel to interfere with its duty to be impartial and fair to both sides, and the jury is presumed to have followed those instructions (see People v. Baker, 14 N.Y.3d 266, 274, 899 N.Y.S.2d 733, 926 N.E.2d 240 [2010] ; People v. Heesh, 94 A.D.3d 1159, 1163, 941 N.Y.S.2d 767 [3d Dept. 2012], lv denied 19 N.Y.3d 961, 950 N.Y.S.2d 113, 973 N.E.2d 211 [2012] ). Viewing the evidence, the law, and the circumstances of this case, in totality and as of the time of the representation, we conclude that defendant received meaningful representation (see generally People v. Baldi, 54 N.Y.2d 137, 147, 444 N.Y.S.2d 893, 429 N.E.2d 400 [1981] ). To the extent that defendant's contention that he was denied effective assistance of counsel during jury selection is based on matters outside the record on appeal, it must be raised, if at all, by way of a motion pursuant to CPL article 440 (see People v. Tuff, 156 A.D.3d 1372, 1378, 68 N.Y.S.3d 273 [4th Dept. 2017], lv denied 31 N.Y.3d 1018, 78 N.Y.S.3d 288, 102 N.E.3d 1069 [2018] ; People v. Rivera, 45 A.D.3d 1487, 1488, 847 N.Y.S.2d 311 [4th Dept. 2007], lv denied 9 N.Y.3d 1038, 852 N.Y.S.2d 23, 881 N.E.2d 1210 [2008] ).

Defendant also contends in his main brief that he was denied a fair trial by prosecutorial misconduct. Defendant moved for a mistrial after the prosecutor pointed out in the presence of the jury that defendant and codefendant were writing notes and whispering to their attorneys about what questions to ask and requested that the court prohibit them from doing so. "[R]eversal is warranted only if the misconduct has caused such substantial prejudice to defendant that he was denied due process of law" ( People v. Griffin, 151 A.D.3d 1824, 1825, 57 N.Y.S.3d 315 [4th Dept. 2017], lv denied 30 N.Y.3d 949, 67 N.Y.S.3d 133, 89 N.E.3d 523 [2017] ). " ‘In measuring whether substantial prejudice has occurred, one must look at the severity and frequency of the conduct, whether the court took appropriate action to dilute the effect of that conduct, and whether review of the evidence indicates that without the conduct the same result would undoubtedly have been reached’ " ( id. at 1825–1826, 57 N.Y.S.3d 315 ). Here, we conclude that the alleged misconduct was not severe, and the court took appropriate curative action to dilute any prejudice to defendant by instructing the jury that there was nothing inappropriate about defendant and codefendant speaking with their attorneys and that such conduct was not to be held against them (see id. ; People v. Stanton, 43 A.D.3d...