A man was indicted on charges of four counts of grand larceny in the second degree. He was arraigned and he was tried. A New York Criminal Lawyer said that after the presentation of the evidence for the prosecution, the counsel for the accused asked the court that instead of the four counts of grand larceny, the court consider instead charging the accused of four counts of criminal facilitation in the fourth degree. The trial court found that criminal facilitation in the fourth degree was a lesser included offense of Grand Larceny.
The trial court charged the man instead of four counts of criminal facilitation. The jury convicted him of the same charges and he was sentenced. The accused filed a motion to set aside the verdict of guilt on the ground that the lesser criminal offense of criminal facilitation is not a lesser included offense of grand larceny.
It was the contention of the accused that since the trial court did not have jurisdiction over the crime of criminal facilitation, it cannot have the power to charge the accused of that crime. However, the Supreme Court or Queens County found that since the accused himself moved that he be charged with the lesser included offense of criminal facilitation, he has waived his right to question the charge.