| People v Svenson |
| 2022 NY Slip Op 03947 [206 AD3d 1294] |
| June 16, 2022 |
| Appellate Division, Third Department |
| Published by New York State Law Reporting Bureau pursuant to Judiciary Law § 431. |
| The People of the State of New York,
Respondent, v Derick S. Svenson, Appellant. |
Robert C. Kilmer, Binghamton, for appellant.
Michael A. Korchak, District Attorney (Benjamin E. Holwitt of counsel), for respondent.
Fisher, J. Appeal from a judgment of the County Court of Broome County (Cawley Jr., J.), rendered November 6, 2019, convicting defendant upon his plea of guilty of the crime of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree.
In satisfaction of a five-count indictment, defendant pleaded guilty to criminal possession of
a forged instrument in the second degree and waived his right to appeal. Defendant was then
released on his own recognizance. A bench warrant for defendant's arrest was subsequently
issued by County Court after defendant did not appear at a scheduled presentence investigation
appointment, could not be reached at the telephone number provided and failed to appear at
sentencing. Upon his return to court, defendant moved to withdraw his plea on the ground that
his plea was involuntary as his anticipated release upon pleading guilty influenced his decision to
enter his plea and he did not understand that he was waiving his right to a jury trial. County Court
denied defendant's motion and sentenced him, as a second felony offender, to a prison term of
2
Defendant argues that his plea was not knowing or voluntary because the benefits of a cooperation agreement that he purportedly entered into with the People "disappeared without explanation at the time of . . . defendant's guilty plea." He additionally contends that County Court should have granted his motion to withdraw his guilty plea because his plea was the result of fraud or mistake in the inducement. He asserts that he "relied on the advantages" of the purported cooperation agreement when he entered his guilty plea and that County Court should have inquired as to the status of the cooperation agreement or his compliance with its terms at the time that it accepted his guilty plea.
Although there is some dispute as to the existence of a cooperation agreement between
defendant and the People, the People's January 2019 plea offer letter stated that, if defendant
cooperated sufficiently, the People would consider allowing defendant to withdraw his guilty
plea and enter a new plea to attempted criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second
degree in exchange for a prison term of 1
To the extent that defendant contends that he was not informed that a period [*2]of postrelease supervision was a component of his sentence, his
contention is misplaced. No period of postrelease supervision was imposed. Rather, his sentence
of 2
Egan Jr., J.P., Clark, Reynolds Fitzgerald and McShan, JJ., concur. Ordered that the judgment is affirmed.