Majority
Defendant’s prior felony sex crime conviction automatically resulted in an override to risk level three (see People v Howard, 27 NY3d 337 , 342 [2016]). Accordingly, defendant qualifies as a level three offender independently of any point assessments. In any event, defendant’s challenges to particular point assessments are unavailing. The court also providently exercised its discretion when it declined to grant a downward departure (see People v Gillotti, 23 NY3d 841 [2014]). The mitigating factors cited by defendant were insufficiently substantiated and were outweighed by the seriousness of the underlying crime and defendant’s prior felony conviction of a sex offense.
Concur— Acosta, J.R, Mazzarelli, Feinman and Webber, JJ.
Cases cited
- People v. Howard 27 NY3d 337 at 342 p. 685
- People v. Gillotti 23 NY3d 841 p. 685