People v Griffin
2015 NY Slip Op 08721 [133 AD3d 837]
November 25, 2015
Appellate Division, Second Department
Published by New York State Law Reporting Bureau pursuant to Judiciary Law § 431.
As corrected through Wednesday, December 30, 2015


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

Lynn W.L. Fahey, New York, N.Y. (Kathleen Whooley of counsel), for appellant.

Kenneth P. Thompson, District Attorney, Brooklyn, N.Y. (Leonard Joblove and Morgan Dennehy of counsel; Jonah Levine on the brief), for respondent.

Appeal by the defendant from an order of the Supreme Court, Kings County (Dwyer, J.), dated September 18, 2014, which, after a hearing, designated him a level three sex offender pursuant to Correction Law article 6-C.

Ordered that the order is affirmed, without costs or disbursements.

The People sustained their burden of demonstrating, by clear and convincing evidence, that the defendant properly received a level three classification pursuant to the Sex Offender Registration Act (see Correction Law art 6-C [hereinafter SORA]) under the circumstances of this case (see Correction Law § 168-n [3]; People v Mingo, 12 NY3d 563, 571 [2009]; People v Bright, 63 AD3d 1133, 1134 [2009]). Contrary to the defendant's contention, the Supreme Court properly denied his request for a downward departure to a level two classification, as the defendant failed to identify and establish the existence of a mitigating factor which was not adequately taken into account by the SORA Guidelines and which would warrant a downward departure in the exercise of the court's discretion (see People v Gillotti, 23 NY3d 841, 861 [2014]; People v Sooknanan, 119 AD3d 540 [2014]; People v Harris, 93 AD3d 704, 705-706 [2012]; People v Wyatt, 89 AD3d 112, 128 [2011]). Mastro, J.P., Dickerson, Miller and Maltese, JJ., concur.