People v. Mooney
Opinion of the Court
Judgment, Supreme Court, New York County (James A. Yates, J.), rendered May 3, 2006, convicting defendant, after a nonjury trial, of robbery in the second degree and criminal possession of stolen property in the third degree, and sentencing him, as a persistent violent felony offender, to an aggregate term of 16 years to life, unanimously affirmed.
The verdict was based on legally sufficient evidence and was not against the weight of the evidence (see People v Danielson, 9 NY3d 342, 348-349 [2007]). There is no basis for disturbing the court’s determinations concerning credibility. To establish defendant’s guilt of second-degree robbery under Penal Law § 160.10 (3), the People were only required to prove he stole a motor vehicle by means of any kind of force. While placing his hand in his pocket and making a pointing gesture, defendant told the victim, “This is a carjacking,” and instructed her to give him her car keys and get in the car. The victim surrendered the keys but fled, and defendant took the car. This evidence was more than enough to establish a forcible taking (see People v Woods, 41 NY2d 279, 282-283 [1977]).
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.