People v Franzone
2008 NY Slip Op 10179 [57 AD3d 917]
December 23, 2008
Appellate Division, Second Department
Published by New York State Law Reporting Bureau pursuant to Judiciary Law § 431.
As corrected through Wednesday, February 11, 2009


The People of the State of New York, Respondent,
v
Vincent Franzone, Appellant.

—[*1] John F. Geida, New London, Conn., pro hac vice (The Law Offices of Norman A. Pattis, LLC, and Peter J. Schaffer of counsel), for appellant.

Daniel M. Donovan, Jr., District Attorney, Staten Island, N.Y. (Morrie I. Kleinbart of counsel), for respondent.

Appeal by the defendant from a judgment of the Supreme Court, Richmond County (Rooney, J.), rendered January 12, 2007, convicting him of aggravated criminal contempt, upon a jury verdict, and imposing sentence.

Ordered that the judgment is affirmed.

Inasmuch as "the evidence, the law, and the circumstances of [the] case, viewed in totality and as of the time of the representation, reveal that [his] attorney provided meaningful representation," the defendant's claim that he was denied the effective assistance of counsel is without merit (People v Baldi, 54 NY2d 137, 147 [1981]; see People v Alexander, 56 AD3d 793 [2008]; People v Williams, 299 AD2d 569 [2002]). Defense counsel chose a reasonable strategy and competently pursued it (see People v Alexander, 56 AD3d 793 [ 2008]). Mastro, J.P., Fisher, Miller and Carni, JJ., concur.