People v. Tesoriero

108 Misc. 2d 1055, 439 N.Y.S.2d 91, 1981 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2333
CourtNew York County Courts
DecidedMay 20, 1981
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 108 Misc. 2d 1055 (People v. Tesoriero) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York County Courts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Tesoriero, 108 Misc. 2d 1055, 439 N.Y.S.2d 91, 1981 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2333 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1981).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Anthony Barriero, J.

The issue this court must resolve at this time is whether or not the defendant, Anthony Tesoriero, is a second felony offender, to be sentenced pursuant to section 70.06 of the Penal Law (CPL 400.21).

The facts of the case may be simply stated. On August 11, 1980, a Nassau County Grand Jury indicted the defendant for the crimes of attempted grand larceny in the third degree (class A misdemeanor) and criminal possession of stolen property in the second degree (class E felony). It was alleged that the defendant knowingly possessed a stolen credit card and attempted to purchase a television set at a Sears Roebuck store by charging the purchase to the stolen card. On February 18, 1981, the defendant, with counsel, appeared before this court and entered a plea of guilty to the second count of the indictment — criminal possession of stolen property, a class E felony, under section 165.45 of the Penal Law. The first count of the indictment was dismissed in satisfaction of the plea to the criminal possession of stolen property charge.

[1056]*1056At the time of the taking of the plea, this court indicated that, if it was determined that the defendant was a prior felony offender, he would be sentenced to a mandatory indeterminate term of imprisonment. However, if such a finding was made, the defendant would have a right to withdraw his guilty plea and proceed to trial. Moreover, if the defendant were found not to be a prior felony offender, the court would sentence him to “a maximum of one year in the Nassau County Correctional Center.”

On April 8, 1981, the defendant appeared in this court for sentencing. At that time, the District Attorney’s office filed a prior felony offender statement, dated March 2, 1981, with regard to this case. The prior felony offender statement alleged that on August 3, 1979 the defendant, Anthony Tesoriero, pleaded guilty to a violation of section 371 of title 18 of the United States Code, in that “the defendant did knowingly and wilfully conspire to commit offenses against the U.S. in violation of T-18, U.S.C. Secs 472 and 473”. Essentially, this conviction was for conspiring to possess and pass as true and genuine 93 counterfeit $20 Federal reserve notes. Upon that conviction the defendant was sentenced to imprisonment for a period of two years, with execution of the sentence suspended and the defendant being placed on probation for three years with the special condition that he “undertake Gamblers Anonymous treatment”.

The People contend that the foregoing conviction in the Federal court constitutes a prior felony offense under the law of New York. Defense counsel, although not controverting the facts of the underlying conviction, maintains the Federal conviction does not constitute a predicate felony and that, therefore, the defendant should not be sentenced as a second felony offender.

Subdivision 1 of section 70.06 of the Penal Law defines a “second felony offender”. Based upon the papers and documentary evidence submitted by both parties, it is clear that all definitional elements of “second felony offender” are met, with one possible exception. That exception is section 70.06 (subd 1, par [b], cl [i]) of the Penal Law which provides: “The conviction must have been in this state of a felony, or in any other jurisdiction of an offense for which a [1057]*1057sentence to a term of imprisonment in excess of one year or a sentence of death was authorized and is authorized in this state irrespective of whether such sentence was imposed”. This section has been interpreted to mean that, to constitute a predicate felony, a conviction in another jurisdiction must be for a crime which would also be a felony under New York law. (Hechtman, 1975 Supplementary Practice Commentary, McKinney’s Cons Laws of NY, Book 39, Penal Law, § 70.06, 1980-1981 Pocket Part, p 117; see People v Brooks, 73 AD2d 564; People v Meegan, 59 AD2d 576, 578; People v Ostin, 62 AD2d 1004; People v Travison, 59 AD2d 404, 408; People v Mazzie, 78 Misc 2d 1014, 1016.) The burden of proof is upon the People to demonstrate, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the defendant has a predicate felony conviction. (CPL 400.21, subd 7, par [a]; cf. People v Taylor, 86 Misc 2d 445, 447.) It is beyond cavil that a conviction in a Federal court constitutes a conviction “in any other jurisdiction” (People v Mazzie, supra, p 1015, and cases cited therein).

That said, what the court must determine is whether or not the crime of which the defendant was convicted in the Federal court: (1) was punishable by a term of imprisonment in excess of one year; and (2) would constitute a felony under New York law.

Section 70.06 (subd 1, par [b], cl [i]) of the Penal Law requires first that the conviction in the other jurisdiction be “of an offense for which a term of imprisonment in excess of one year *** was authorized”. That is clearly the case here, the defendant having been sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. (See US Code, tit 18, §§371, 472, 473.) The fact that the sentence was suspended and three years’ probation ordered in its stead is of no moment. (Penal Law, §70.06, subd 1, par [b], cl [ii].)

We come therefore to the crucial question: would the Federal conviction here have been a felony under New York State law? The defendant was convicted in the Federal court of conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States (US Code, tit 18, § 371), to wit: uttering counterfeit obligations or securities (US Code, tit 18, § 472), and dealing in counterfeit obligations or securities (US Code, tit 18, §473). Such a conspiracy is of felony [1058]*1058grade. (US Code, tit 18, § 371 — $10,000 fine, five years’ imprisonment or both.) Under New York law, there are several felony level conspiracies. Most appropriate for our purposes here is conspiracy in the fourth degree, that is, conspiring to commit a class B or C felony. (Penal Law, § 105.10, subd 1, a class E felony). The elements of conspiracy, Federal and State, are essentially the same: an intent to commit a certain class of crime, an agreement to do so between two or more persons, and an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy. (Cf. US Code, tit 18, § 371; United States v Feola, 420 US 671 [intent]; United States v Borrelli, 336 F2d 376, cert den 379 US 960 [agreement]; United States v Floyd, 496 F2d 982, cert den 419 US 1069 [overt act in furtherance]; and United States v Guy, 456 F2d 1157, cert den 409 US 896, reh den 409 US 1002, cert den 409 US 1001, cert den 409 US 1127; with Penal Law, § 105.10, subd 1; and Penal Law, § 105.20.) The issue thus devolves down to whether or not there is a State felony comparable to the Federal felonies of either uttering counterfeit obligations (US Code, tit 18, §472) or dealing in counterfeit obligations (US Code, tit 18, § 473). That question must be answered in the affirmative. The New York State counterpart of section 472 of title 18 of the United States Code is section 170.30 of the Penal Law, criminal possession of a forged instrument in the first degree, a class C felony.

Section 472

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Related

People v. Hinton
285 A.D.2d 476 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2001)
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117 Misc. 2d 875 (New York Supreme Court, 1983)

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Bluebook (online)
108 Misc. 2d 1055, 439 N.Y.S.2d 91, 1981 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2333, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-tesoriero-nycountyct-1981.