People v Garcia
2007 NY Slip Op 09412 [45 AD3d 860]
November 27, 2007
Appellate Division, Second Department
As corrected through Wednesday, January 16, 2008


The People of the State of New York,Respondent,
v
Danny Garcia, Also Known as Jason Deleon, Also Known as JacobGuereo, Appellant.

[*1]Gary M. Gash, White Plains, N.Y. (Neal D. Futerfas of counsel), for appellant.

Janet DiFiore, District Attorney, White Plains, N.Y. (Maria Wager, Richard LongworthHecht, and Anthony J. Servino of counsel), for respondent.

Appeal by the defendant from a judgment of the Supreme Court, Westchester County (West,J.), rendered December 11, 2002, convicting him of attempted rape in the first degree, attemptedrape in the second degree, criminal use of a firearm in the second degree, unlawful imprisonmentin the first degree, and endangering the welfare of a child, upon a jury verdict, and imposingsentence.

Ordered that the judgment is affirmed.

Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution (see People v Contes,60 NY2d 620 [1983]), we find that it was legally sufficient to establish the defendant's guiltbeyond a reasonable doubt. Moreover, resolution of issues of credibility is primarily a matter tobe determined by the jury, which saw and heard the witnesses, and its determination should beaccorded great deference on appeal (seePeople v Romero, 7 NY3d 633, 644-645 [2006]; People v Mateo, 2 NY3d 383,410 [2004], cert denied 542 US 946 [2004]). Upon the exercise of our factual reviewpower (see CPL 470.15 [5]), we are satisfied that the verdict of guilt was not against theweight of the evidence (see People v Romero, 7 NY3d at 644-645).

Contrary to the defendant's contention, the hearing court's Sandoval ruling (seePeople v Sandoval, 34 NY2d 371 [1974]) constituted a provident exercise of its discretion.The fact that [*2]the defendant may have been the only possiblesource of testimony for his defense increased the importance of his credibility and his testimony,and did not mandate a ruling prohibiting inquiry about his prior conduct (see People v Cruz, 21 AD3d 967,968 [2005]).

The sentence imposed was not excessive (see People v Suitte, 90 AD2d 80 [1982]).

The defendant's remaining contentions are unpreserved for appellate review and, in anyevent, without merit. Spolzino, J.P., Dillon, Angiolillo and Dickerson, JJ., concur.


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