People v. DeGina
Opinion of the Court
The trial court did err, however, when, at the People’s request and over defense counsel’s objection, it charged the jury with respect to the affirmative defense of entrapment, as a fair reading of the record establishes that the entrapment defense was not raised (see, People v Albright, 65 NY2d 666; People v Martin, 66 AD2d 995). However, given the overwhelming evidence regarding the defendant’s intent to commit the crimes for which he was convicted, we find that this error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt (see, People v Smalls, 55 NY2d 407; People v Crimmins, 36 NY2d 230).
The law and the circumstances of this case, viewed together and at the time of representation, reveal that the defendant was provided with meaningful representation. Thus the defendant’s constitutional right to effective assistance of counsel was not violated (see, People v Satterfield, 66 NY2d 796).
We have considered the remaining contentions raised by the defendant and find them to be either unpreserved for appellate review (see, People v Montemurro, 125 AD2d 605, lv denied 69 NY2d 748), or without merit (see, People v Sanzo, 122 AD2d 817, lv denied 68 NY2d 1004). Thompson, J. P., Lawrence, Eiber and Balletta, JJ., concur.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.