People v. Bell
Opinion of the Court
—Judgment, Supreme Court, Bronx County (George Covington, J.), rendered November 17, 1994, convicting defendant, upon his plea of guilty, of two counts of robbery in the first degree, and sentencing him to consecutive terms of 3 to 9 years and 2 to 6 years, respectively, unanimously affirmed.
Defendant’s initial denial that he displayed what appeared to be a pistol did not engender “ ‘significant doubt’ ” upon the voluntariness of his plea, particularly given his subsequent admission once the court explained the element (People v Toxey, 86 NY2d 725, 726).
The nature and extent of the opportunity given defendant to advance his motion to withdraw his plea met the required procedural standard (see, People v Tinsley, 35 NY2d 926). Furthermore, the minutes of the plea belie defendant’s conclusory claims that he pleaded guilty because he was under stress and confused (see, People v Cruz, 239 AD2d 159).
We perceive no abuse of sentencing discretion. Concur—Sullivan, J. P., Ellerin, Wallach, Williams and Andidas, JJ.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.