People v. Garcia
Opinion of the Court
—Appeal by the defendant from a judgment of the Supreme Court, Queens County (Naro, J.), rendered March 10, 1998, convicting him 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, and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree, after a nonjury trial, and imposing sentence.
Ordered that the judgment is affirmed.
Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the pros
The defendant’s contention that his jury waiver was invalid is unpreserved for appellate review (see, People v Johnson, 51 NY2d 986, 987-988; People v Pelaccio, 159 AD2d 734, 735; People v Aponte, 144 AD2d 679, 680; People v Davidson, 123 AD2d 782, 783). In any event, the record reveals that the defendant, who was represented by an attorney, signed the waiver form in open court after an inquiry by the court as to his understanding of the consequences of his choice (see, People v Johnson, supra, at 987-988; People v Pelaccio, supra, at 735; People v Aponte, supra, at 680; People v Davidson, supra, at 783).
The defendant’s contention that the trial court erred in denying his application for a substitution of counsel is without merit. Although an indigent defendant has a right to a court-appointed attorney, he does not have a choice of assigned counsel and new counsel will not be appointed unless he can show good cause for a substitution (see, People v Wells, 215 AD2d 419; People v Harris, 173 AD2d 486; People v Leach, 108 AD2d 871, 872). General assertions by the defendant that he lost faith and confidence in his counsel or that he did not believe his counsel was properly representing him do not constitute good cause (see, People v Wells, supra, at 419; People v Harris, supra), especially when the Trial Judge has described appointed counsel as an excellent and highly qualified trial attorney (see, People v Leach, supra).
The defendant’s sentence was not excessive (see, CPL 470.15 [4] [c]; People v Suitte, 90 AD2d 80, 86).
The defendant’s remaining contentions, including those in his supplemental pro se brief, are without merit. Mangano, P. J., Bracken, Joy and H. Miller, JJ., concur.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.