Opinion
10-13-2016
The PEOPLE of the State of New York, Respondent, v. Derrick McCLASSLING, Defendant–Appellant. The People of the State of New York, Respondent, v. Karace Bowens, Defendant–Appellant.
Richard M. Greenberg, Office of the Appellate Defender, New York (Alexandra N. Rothman of counsel), for Derrick McClassling, appellant. Robert S. Dean, Center for Appellate Litigation, New York (Brittany N. Francis of counsel), for Karace Bowens, appellant. Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., District Attorney, New York (Yan Slavinskiy of counsel), for respondent.
Richard M. Greenberg, Office of the Appellate Defender, New York (Alexandra N. Rothman of counsel), for Derrick McClassling, appellant.
Robert S. Dean, Center for Appellate Litigation, New York (Brittany N. Francis of counsel), for Karace Bowens, appellant.
Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., District Attorney, New York (Yan Slavinskiy of counsel), for respondent.
TOM, J.P., RENWICK, MANZANET–DANIELS, GISCHE, WEBBER, JJ.
Judgment, Supreme Court, New York County (Richard D. Carruthers, J.), rendered July 9, 2014, convicting defendant Derrick McClassling, after a jury trial, of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree, and sentencing him, as a second felony drug offender previously convicted of a violent felony, to a term of six years, unanimously affirmed. Judgment, same court and Justice, rendered August 29, 2014, convicting defendant Karace Bowens, after a jury trial, of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree, criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fourth degree (two counts) and criminal use of drug paraphernalia in the second degree, and sentencing him, as a second felony drug offender previously convicted of a violent felony, to an aggregate term of seven years, unanimously affirmed.
Defendant McClassling's ineffective assistance of counsel claim is unavailing (see People v. Benevento, 91 N.Y.2d 708, 713–714, 674 N.Y.S.2d 629, 697 N.E.2d 584 [1998] ; Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 [1984] ). Given the trial evidence, and even in the absence of an agency defense, counsel's concession that his client committed the crime of fourth-degree criminal facilitation did not constitute a concession that his client was also accessorially liable for the sale charge (see Penal Law §§ 20.00, 115.00, 220.39[1] ; People v. Watson, 20 N.Y.3d 182, 189, 957 N.Y.S.2d 669, 981 N.E.2d 265 [2012] ). The record fails to support McClassling's assertion that his counsel misunderstood the law regarding the relationship among sale, facilitation, and the agency defense (compare People v. Logan, 263 A.D.2d 397, 695 N.Y.S.2d 4 [1st Dept.1999], mot. for lv. withdrawn 94 N.Y.2d 798, 700 N.Y.S.2d 432, 722 N.E.2d 512 [1999] ).
The court properly denied defendant Bowens's suppression motion. There is no basis for disturbing the court's credibility determinations, including, among other things, its rejection of the claim that Bowens was subjected to a public strip search.
The court correctly determined that because Bowens's ineffective assistance of counsel claim involved matters outside the record, his CPL 330.30(1) motion was an improper vehicle to raise such a claim (see People v. Giles, 24 N.Y.3d 1066, 1068, 2 N.Y.S.3d 30, 25 N.E.3d 943 [2014] ; People v. Perry, 266 A.D.2d 151, 151–152, 700 N.Y.S.2d 107 [1st Dept.1999], lv. denied 95 N.Y.2d 856, 714 N.Y.S.2d 7, 736 N.E.2d 868 [2000] ), and the court properly denied the motion without assigning new counsel (People v. Urbina, 99 A.D.3d 552, 553, 952 N.Y.S.2d 180 [1st Dept.2012], lv. denied 20 N.Y.3d 989, 958 N.Y.S.2d 704, 982 N.E.2d 624 [2012] ). A new attorney would not have been able to overcome the rule that a CPL 330.30(1) motion is limited to matters appearing on the record.
We find no basis for reducing Bowens's sentence.