People v Brooks
2020 NY Slip Op 05768 [187 AD3d 931]
October 14, 2020
Appellate Division, Second Department
As corrected through Wednesday, December 4, 2019


[*1]
 The People of the State of New York,Respondent,
v
David Brooks, Appellant.

Steven A. Feldman, Manhasset, NY, for appellant.

Timothy D. Sini, District Attorney, Riverhead, NY (Thomas C. Costello of counsel), forrespondent.

Appeal by the defendant from a judgment of the County Court, Suffolk County (Timothy P.Mazzei, J.), rendered January 23, 2017, convicting him of attempted identity theft in the firstdegree, upon his plea of guilty, and imposing sentence.

Ordered that the judgment is affirmed.

The defendant contends that his plea of guilty was involuntary because the County Court didnot advise him of the possible immigration consequences of his plea (see generally People v Peque, 22 NY3d168 [2013]). Under the circumstances of this case, where nothing in the record contradictsthe defendant's statement made under oath, at the plea proceeding, that he was a citizen of theUnited States, or the information in the Department of Probation Presentence InvestigationReport indicating that the defendant was a United States citizen, we reject the defendant'scontention (see People v Williams,178 AD3d 1095 [2019]; People vTull, 159 AD3d 1387, 1387-1388 [2018]).

Although the County Court lacked discretion at sentencing to defer the mandatory surcharge(see People v Jones, 26 NY3d730, 732-733 [2016]), the court's error in this regard, which was in the defendant's favor,does not entitle him to the relief he seeks (see People v Himonitis, 174 AD3d 738, 739 [2019]; People v Tietje, 171 AD3d 1221,1222 [2019]). Mastro, J.P., Austin, Leventhal and Miller, JJ., concur.


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