People v Katz
2014 NYSlipOp 07298 [121 AD3d 593]
October 28, 2014
Appellate Division, First Department
Published by New York State Law Reporting Bureau pursuant to Judiciary Law § 431.
As corrected through Wednesday, December 3, 2014


[*1]
 The People of the State of New York, Respondent,
v
Jaime Katz, Appellant.

Robert S. Dean, Center for Appellate Litigation, New York (Julia Busetti of counsel), for appellant.

Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., District Attorney, New York (Yuval Simchi-Levi of counsel), for respondent.

Order, Supreme Court, New York County (Renee A. White, J.), entered on or about March 19, 2013, which adjudicated defendant a level two sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration Act (Correction Law art 6-C), unanimously affirmed, without costs.

The court properly assessed defendant 20 points for the risk factor for relationship with victim. The People demonstrated by clear and convincing evidence that defendant established a relationship with the victim for the purpose of victimizing him (see People v Carlton, 307 AD2d 763 [4th Dept 2003]). The circumstances, including time factors, supported the inference that the relationship was formed for that purpose, and defendant's denials presented a credibility question that the court properly resolved against him.

The court properly exercised its discretion when it declined to grant a downward departure to risk level one (see People v Gillotti, 23 NY3d 841 [2014]). The alleged mitigating factors were outweighed by the seriousness of the underlying sex crime. Concur—Friedman, J.P., Renwick, Manzanet-Daniels, Feinman and Kapnick, JJ.