People v Suarez-Montoya
2020 NY Slip Op 02812 [183 AD3d 765]
May 13, 2020
Appellate Division, Second Department
Published by New York State Law Reporting Bureau pursuant to Judiciary Law § 431.
As corrected through Wednesday, July 1, 2020


[*1]
 The People of the State of New York, Respondent,
v
Carlos Suarez-Montoya, Appellant.

Janet E. Sabel, New York, NY (Antonio Villaamil of counsel), for appellant.

Melinda Katz, District Attorney, Kew Gardens, NY (John M. Castellano, Johnnette Traill, and Ellen C. Abbot of counsel; Victoria Randall on the memorandum), for respondent.

Appeal by the defendant, as limited by his motion, from a sentence of the Supreme Court, Queens County (Deborah Stevens Modica, J.), imposed June 8, 2017, on the ground that the sentence was excessive.

Ordered that the sentence is affirmed.

The defendant's waiver of the right to appeal was invalid, because the Supreme Court incorrectly stated during the discussion of the appeal waiver that the waiver encompassed post-conviction motions (see People v Thomas, 34 NY3d 545 [2019]). Therefore, the purported waiver does not foreclose appellate review of the issue of whether the sentence imposed was excessive.

However, the sentence imposed was not excessive (see People v Suitte, 90 AD2d 80 [1982]). Dillon, J.P., Austin, Roman, Hinds-Radix and Christopher, JJ., concur.