Bronx

Published on: December 23, 2012

Court Discusses the Elements of Burglary

by Stephen Bilkis

A man entered a home in Dade County, Florida. A New York Criminal Lawyer said he did this in the middle of the night without the knowledge and consent of the two people who lived in the premises, a brother and a sister. The man ransacked the house and took away with him a color television set. He was later apprehended by the police.

Charges of larceny and burglary were brought against him. The larceny charge was brought for the taking of the television while the charge of burglary was charged for breaking and entering into the house owned by another person for the purpose of committing a crime.

The criminal information filed against him alleged that sometime on May 9, 1976 in Dade County, the man unlawfully entered the house owned by VA, the owner and custodian of the home with intent to commit the offense of petit larceny.

Published on: December 15, 2012

Court Discusses Intent in Petit Larceny Charges

by Stephen Bilkis

The Facts of the Case:

The appellant was charged with the criminal act of breaking and entering with intent to commit a misdemeanor, viz.: petit larceny. The information charged three elements: unlawful breaking, unlawful entry and the intent to commit petit larceny. A New York Criminal Lawyer said the jury found appellant guilty of two of the three elements set forth in the accusatory pleading by finding that he had made an unlawful entry with intent to commit petit larceny or entering without breaking with intent to commit petit larceny. Clearly, the verdict found defendant guilty of a crime included within the offense charged by the accusatory pleading.

The Issue of the Case:

Published on: December 13, 2012

HIV Positive Defendant Charged With Biting Victim

by Stephen Bilkis

The parties of the case had a quarrel between them wherein the defendant had bitten the complainant during their squabble. A New York Criminal Lawyer said the People filed a motion to order the removal from medical records and non-disclosure of the HIV status of the victim from the defendant. The ground for such an order is based on the complainant’s right to privacy and confidentiality as opposed to the right of information by the defendant.

The court held that grant of the order to redact all references to the HIV status of the private complainant but sought to inform the defendant of such through a physician or health officer. The court ruled that the defense lawyer has the prerogative to disclose the sensitive information to his client but recommended that it be made through a medical doctor or health official.

The parties are residents at an apartment building and both lived in the same floor. In one incident, the defendant thrown anti-gay expressions towards the complainant and subsequently punched the victim’s face and body. Later, the parties had another argument that resulted to the biting of the defendant over the shirt of the complainant which caused the latter’s skin to break. The accused was also alleged to have possession of a knife and that he pushed himself inside the complainant’s apartment. The sister of the victim called 911 who informed the medical attendants that her brother is with HIV and such information was written down in his medical records during his medical treatment at the hospital.

Published on: December 12, 2012

Court Discusses Grand Larceny vs. Petit Larceny Charges

by Stephen Bilkis

A man knocked on an apartment door. He claimed to be delivering something for the resident in the apartment. He asked the resident for some personal identification. The resident of the apartment left the apartment door open and left the man at the door while she went inside the apartment to get her ID. A New York Criminal Lawyer with the apartment door left open, a television set can be seen which was put on a stand situated very near the open apartment door. On the floor near the television, there were sweaters scattered all over. The man took the TV and the sweaters on the floor.

The man was seen by another delivery man who was making a delivery in a nearby apartment at the same time. He saw the bogus delivery man go inside the apartment and leave holding the TV set and the sweaters. He also saw the bogus delivery man leave the apartment and ride a bike while carrying the TV set and the sweaters. The delivery man followed the bogus delivery man and saw that at the nearest corner, the bogus delivery man dropped the TV and the sweaters. He left them there on the street where they fell. And he rode the bike all the way to a nearby restaurant. At the restaurant premises, the bogus delivery man left the bike. He went to the parking area of the restaurant and rode in a car. The delivery man wrote down the license plate of the bogus delivery man’s car. When a police cruiser came by, the delivery man told them his story and gave them the license plate of the bogus delivery man. He also led them to the spot where the TV and the sweaters were dropped.

The bogus delivery man was later arrested. He was charged with two crimes in one information: he was charged with breaking and entering with intent to commit grand larceny and grand larceny. The bogus delivery man moved for a trial without a jury. The man was convicted with breaking and entering with intent to commit grand larceny but he was convicted only of petit larceny and not grand larceny because the prosecution failed to prove that the properties taken were valued beyond $100.

Published on: December 11, 2012

Court Distinguishes Between Petit Larceny and Felony Petit Larceny

by Stephen Bilkis

The state charged appellant with armed robbery and resisting a merchant. The jury found her guilty of the lesser included offense of petit theft and resisting a merchant. The trial court adjudicated her guilty of the two misdemeanors. At sentencing, however, the court reclassified her conviction pursuant to section 812.014(2)(c), based on her prior theft convictions. A West Palm Beach Petit Larceny Lawyer said that, appellant stipulated at pretrial that she had nine prior misdemeanor convictions. A New York Criminal Lawyer said the information, however, did not make reference to the prior convictions, nor did it charge her with a felony petit theft. On that ground, appellant contends that the trial court erred when it reclassified her petit theft conviction to felony petit theft.

The issue in this case is whether the Court erred in reclassifying appellant’s conviction of petit theft to felony petit theft (petit larceny).

Ina 1991 case, the court stated: A charging document must provide adequate notice of the alleged essential facts the defendant must defend against. In recognition of this concern, Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.140(b) provides that an “indictment or information upon which the defendant is to be tried shall be a plain, concise and definite written statement of the essential facts constituting the offense charged.” The Court then referred to its prior opinion in a 1978 case: the Justice concluded for the Court that the felony petit larceny statute “creates a substantive offense and is thus distinguishable from section 775.084, the habitual criminal offender statute.” The felony DUI statute is indistinguishable in this regard. The Court concludes that the existence of three or more prior DUI convictions is an essential fact constituting the substantive offense of felony DUI. Having established that the existence of prior DUI convictions is an essential element of felony DUI, it necessarily follows that the requisite notice of prior DUI convictions must be given in the charging document.

Published on: December 5, 2012

Court Looks at Intent to Commit Petit Larceny

by Stephen Bilkis

A man went to a house in a residential neighborhood. It was eleven thirty in the evening and all the three residents of the house were fast asleep. The man went up the roof and was preparing to enter the house through a bedroom with an open screened window.

A New York Criminal Lawyer said tne resident of the house was fast asleep in the bedroom as the man was trying to enter through the screen window. The noise made by the man outside the window woke the resident of the house. He had a .25 caliber hand gun in a drawer in his bedside table. He cried aloud and said “Who’s there?” When the man crouched down in an attempt to hide, the occupant fired a warning shot.

Another occupant called an emergency hotline and the man was unable to get down from the roof until the police got there. The man was charged with attempted breaking entering with intent to commit grand larceny. It was alleged that the three occupants in the house had cell phones, laptop computers and other valuables inside the house which could have been what the prowler intended to take.

Published on: December 4, 2012

Defendant Contests Risk Assessment Designation

by Stephen Bilkis

Defendant W. was arrested for acting in concert with J.S. in allegedly committing the crimes of Kidnapping in the First Degree (Penal Law § 135.25 [1]), Rape in the First Degree (Penal Law § 130.35 [1]), Sodomy in the First Degree (Penal Law § 130.50 [1]), and Unlawful Imprisonment in the First Degree (Penal Law § 135.10), against one Sabrina on May 3, 2000, in the vicinity of East 233rd Street and White Plains Road in Bronx County. Defendant and co-defendant J.S. were subsequently indicted for all of the above charges. In the felony complaint, it was alleged that Defendant and J.S. detained S. in a car and refused to let her leave when she requested to do so. Further, when she attempted to get out, she was pulled back inside and her mouth covered when she tried to scream for help. Defendant and J.S. then held S. down while Defendant inserted his penis into her vagina and J.S. inserted his penis into her mouth, both without her consent. At the time of his arrest, when told that he was being charged with rape, Defendant responded, “I kind of had that feeling.” He was subsequently identified by both Sabrina and an eyewitness in separate corporeal lineups.

A New York Criminal Lawyer said that, in the course of the Grand Jury presentation, it was established that S. was with her friend R. R. knew Defendant and talked to him while S. was standing close by. S. and R. got into the back seat of the vehicle. When R. got out purchasing some cigarettes or marijuana, Defendant drove off with S. S. called to R. for help. However, S. pulled her back into the car. Defendant proceeded to drive to a parking lot. He then got into the back seat, grabbed S’s thigh and demanded that she place his penis into her mouth. Thereafter, Defendant removed S’s pants, held her hands down, and engaged in sexual intercourse with her against her will. L.S. then inserted his penis into S’s mouth and masturbated into her mouth while Defendant held her hands down as she was repeatedly shouting, “No.” L.S. then struck S. in the mouth. Afterwards, Sabrina was driven to within one block of her home and forcibly thrown out of the car.

A Brooklyn Criminal Lawyer said DNA tests performed on the victim and Defendant revealed that his semen and that of another male were found on a vaginal swab of the victim as well as on her panties.

Published on: December 3, 2012

Court Decides Assault Case

by Stephen Bilkis

Suffolk Drug Crime 11

In this case of the People of the State of New York verses the defendants Smithtown General Hospital, L.S., D.L, H.M, L.S., and M.C., are charged with allowing a prosthetic devices salesman to participate in a meaningful way during a surgical procedure that was being performed at the Smithtown General Hospital without the knowledge or consent of the patient. This case is being heard in the Supreme Court, Criminal Term, of Suffolk County Part II.

Case Background

Published on: December 3, 2012

Court Discusses Lesser Included Offenses

by Stephen Bilkis

A man was charged with breaking and entering with intent to commit a felony. He was convicted of the lesser included offense of breaking and entering or entering without breaking with intent to commit a misdemeanor. He appeals the judgment and sentence.

A New York Criminal Lawyer said the man recognizes that the court, when confronted with such a verdict and judgment, remanded the case to the trial court with instructions to enter judgment and sentence on the lesser of the included offenses referred to in the verdict. He requests that the Court reconsider such previous ruling. It has subsequently developed, however, that the District Court of Appeal has overruled and receded. Upon consideration of the opinion, the Court agrees with the general reasoning but go a step further. The Court of Appeal construes the crime of breaking and entering or entering without breaking as a single crime rather than two different crimes.

The information charged three elements including unlawful breaking, unlawful entry and the intent to commit petit larceny. The jury found the man guilty of two of the three elements set forth in the accusatory pleading by finding that he had made an unlawful entry with intent to commit petit larceny. These two elements constitute a crime just as surely as did the three elements charged. By all standards entering without breaking seems to meet the definition of a category necessarily included offense to breaking and entering.

Published on: December 2, 2012

Defendant Contends Court Lacks Jurisdiction

by Stephen Bilkis

In this criminal case, appellant was informed against in the Criminal Court of Record of West Palm Beach County for grand larceny. A New York Criminal Lawyer said that, he was arraigned on the information and entered a plea of not guilty. At the beginning of the trial, which was held before the trial judge without a jury, the county solicitor made the announcement in open court and said that: ‘In this case, the State is going to attempt to prove petit larceny and not grand larceny.’ A West Palm Beach Petit Larceny Lawyer said that, after this announcement the county solicitor submitted evidence to prove that the charge contained in the information constituted petit larceny; and the trial court found the defendant to be guilty of petit larceny. Thereafter, a judgment of conviction was rendered and the defendant, as a result, appealed to this Court.

A Nassau County Criminal Lawyer said that, the Attorney General has moved to dismiss the appeal on the ground that the court is without jurisdiction to entertain an appeal for a misdemeanor conviction. A West Palm Beach Grand Larceny Lawyer said that, the defendant contends that inasmuch as the information upon which the defendant was arraigned charged a felony this Court has jurisdiction of the appeal.

The issue in this case is whether the appeal of the appellant should be dismissed on the ground that the court is without jurisdiction to entertain an appeal for a misdemeanor conviction.