Opinion
2015–07331 Ind. No. 1242/13
03-21-2018
The PEOPLE, etc., respondent, v. Cyril POULLARD, appellant.
Seymour W. James, Jr., New York, N.Y. (Ellen Dille of counsel), for appellant. Richard A. Brown, District Attorney, Kew Gardens, N.Y. (John M. Castellano, Johnnette Traill, Ellen C. Abbot, and Matthew Luongo of counsel), for respondent.
Seymour W. James, Jr., New York, N.Y. (Ellen Dille of counsel), for appellant.
Richard A. Brown, District Attorney, Kew Gardens, N.Y. (John M. Castellano, Johnnette Traill, Ellen C. Abbot, and Matthew Luongo of counsel), for respondent.
WILLIAM F. MASTRO, J.P., JEFFREY A. COHEN, HECTOR D. LASALLE, VALERIE BRATHWAITE NELSON, JJ.
DECISION & ORDERAppeal by the defendant from a judgment of the Supreme Court, Queens County (Joel Blumenfeld, J.), rendered July 9, 2015, convicting him of robbery in the first degree, robbery in the second degree, criminal possession of stolen property in the fifth degree, and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree, upon a jury verdict, and imposing sentence.
ORDERED that the judgment is affirmed.
The defendant failed to preserve for appellate review his contention that he was deprived of a fair trial due to improper remarks made by the Supreme Court to prospective jurors during voir dire (see CPL 470.05[2] ; People v. Dudley , 151 A.D.3d 878, 879, 54 N.Y.S.3d 297 ; People v. Mason , 132 A.D.3d 777, 779, 17 N.Y.S.3d 768 ). Contrary to the defendant's contention, the court's error did not constitute a mode of proceedings error exempting him from the rules of preservation (see People v. Brown , 7 N.Y.3d 880, 826 N.Y.S.2d 595, 860 N.E.2d 55 ; People v. Dudley , 151 A.D.3d at 879, 54 N.Y.S.3d 297; People v. Mason , 132 A.D.3d at 779, 17 N.Y.S.3d 768 ; People v. Cunningham , 119 A.D.3d 601–602, 988 N.Y.S.2d 696 ). In any event, the court's remarks to the prospective jurors, while inappropriate, do not warrant reversal (see People v. Dudley , 151 A.D.3d at 879, 54 N.Y.S.3d 297; People v. Mason , 132 A.D.3d at 779, 17 N.Y.S.3d 768 ; People v. Bailey , 66 A.D.3d 491, 889 N.Y.S.2d 1 ; People v. Daniel , 37 A.D.3d 731, 830 N.Y.S.2d 319 ; People v. Alston 225 A.D.2d 453, 639 N.Y.S.2d 347 ).
The defendant was afforded the effective assistance of counsel (see People v. Benevento , 91 N.Y.2d 708, 712–713, 674 N.Y.S.2d 629, 697 N.E.2d 584 ; People v. Baldi , 54 N.Y.2d 137, 444 N.Y.S.2d 893, 429 N.E.2d 400 ).
MASTRO, J.P., COHEN, LASALLE and BRATHWAITE NELSON, JJ., concur.