X

Thank you for sharing!

Your article was successfully shared with the contacts you provided.

The Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo, Inc., Buffalo (Abigail D. Whipple of Counsel), for Defendant-Appellant. Kevin T. Finnell, District Attorney, Batavia (William G. Zickl of Counsel), for Respondent. Appeal from an order of the Genesee County Court (Thomas D. Williams, A.J.), dated April 20, 2023. The order determined that defendant is a level three risk pursuant to the Sex Offender Registration Act. It is hereby ORDERED that the order so appealed from is unanimously affirmed without costs. Memorandum: Defendant appeals from an order determining that he is a level three risk pursuant to the Sex Offender Registration Act (Correction Law § 168 et seq.) after a conviction of criminal sexual act in the second degree (Penal Law § 130.45 [1]) and sexual abuse in the first degree (§ 130.65 [3]) arising from his separate acts of sexual conduct against, respectively, a 13-year-old girl (first victim) and a 3-year-old girl (second victim). Even assuming, arguendo, that defendant is correct that he should have been assessed only 5 points rather than 30 points under risk factor 9 on the risk assessment instrument for his prior conviction of attempted endangering the welfare of a child (see People v. Lewis, 178 AD3d 971, 972 [2d Dept 2019]; People v. Freeman, 85 AD3d 1335, 1335-1336 [3d Dept 2011]; see also Sex Offender Registration Act: Risk Assessment Guidelines and Commentary at 13-14 [2006]), thereby rendering him a presumptive level two risk, we reject defendant’s further contention that County Court erred in determining in the alternative that an upward departure to a level three risk was warranted, and thus we affirm. “[W]hen the People establish, by clear and convincing evidence (see Correction Law § 168-n [3]), the existence of aggravating factors that are, ‘as a matter of law, of a kind or to a degree not adequately taken into account by the [risk assessment] guidelines,’ a court ‘must exercise its discretion by weighing the aggravating and [any] mitigating factors to determine whether the totality of the circumstances warrants a departure’ from a sex offender’s presumptive risk level” (People v. Havlen, 167 AD3d 1579, 1579 [4th Dept 2018], quoting People v. Gillotti, 23 NY3d 841, 861 [2014]). Here, contrary to defendant’s contention, the written statement of the police detective who investigated the offenses, which was prepared for the presentence investigation report and included therein, constitutes “reliable hearsay” upon which the court properly relied in making the upward departure (§ 168-n [3]; see People v. Diaz, 34 NY3d 1179, 1181 [2020]; People v. Mingo, 12 NY3d 563, 573-574 [2009]). Moreover, the court properly credited the detective’s statement that, during the course of the investigation, he spoke on numerous occasions with a third victim, who had been traumatized by the sexual abuse she endured as a five-year-old child and thus declined to pursue criminal charges against defendant out of fear of going public (see People v. Tidd, 128 AD3d 1537, 1537-1538 [4th Dept 2015], lv denied 25 NY3d 913 [2015]; see generally Diaz, 34 NY3d at 1181). The court also properly credited the uncontested information in the case summary that the conduct underlying defendant’s prior conviction of attempted endangering the welfare of a child involved defendant’s physical abuse of the second victim’s mother, upon whom he admittedly “left marks,” in the presence of their infant child (see People v. Auger, 162 AD3d 1082, 1083 [2d Dept 2018], lv denied 32 NY3d 907 [2018]; People v. James, 45 AD3d 555, 556 [2d Dept 2007], lv denied 10 NY3d 710 [2008]). We therefore conclude that the People established by clear and convincing evidence the existence of aggravating factors not taken into account by the risk assessment guidelines—i.e., defendant had, in addition to the first victim and second victim, similarly abused yet another underage victim and had also engaged in domestic violence against the mother of the second victim in the presence of their infant child (see Auger, 162 AD3d at 1083; People v. DAdamo, 67 AD3d 1132, 1133 [3d Dept 2009], lv denied 15 NY3d 714 [2010]; James, 45 AD3d at 556). The aggravating factors outweighed any mitigating factors, and the totality of the circumstances thus warranted an upward departure to avoid an under-assessment of defendant’s dangerousness and risk of sexual recidivism (see People v. Cottom, 207 AD3d 1243, 1245 [4th Dept 2022]; People v. Thomas, 186 AD3d 1067, 1068 [4th Dept 2020], lv denied 36 NY3d 902 [2020]; see generally Gillotti, 23 NY3d at 861).

 
Reprints & Licensing
Mentioned in a Law.com story?

License our industry-leading legal content to extend your thought leadership and build your brand.

More From ALM

With this subscription you will receive unlimited access to high quality, online, on-demand premium content from well-respected faculty in the legal industry. This is perfect for attorneys licensed in multiple jurisdictions or for attorneys that have fulfilled their CLE requirement but need to access resourceful information for their practice areas.
View Now
Our Team Account subscription service is for legal teams of four or more attorneys. Each attorney is granted unlimited access to high quality, on-demand premium content from well-respected faculty in the legal industry along with administrative access to easily manage CLE for the entire team.
View Now
Gain access to some of the most knowledgeable and experienced attorneys with our 2 bundle options! Our Compliance bundles are curated by CLE Counselors and include current legal topics and challenges within the industry. Our second option allows you to build your bundle and strategically select the content that pertains to your needs. Both options are priced the same.
View Now
November 27, 2024
London

Celebrating achievement, excellence, and innovation in the legal profession in the UK.


Learn More
December 02, 2024 - December 03, 2024
Scottsdale, AZ

Join the industry's top owners, investors, developers, brokers and financiers for the real estate healthcare event of the year!


Learn More
December 11, 2024
Las Vegas, NV

This event shines a spotlight on how individuals and firms are changing the investment advisory industry where it matters most.


Learn More

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY PROSECUTION PARALEGAL - NEW JERSEY OR NEW YORK OFFICESProminent mid-Atlantic law firm with multiple regional office lo...


Apply Now ›

Experienced Insurance Defense Attorney.No in office requirement.Send resume to:


Apply Now ›

The Republic of Palau Judiciary is seeking applicants for one Associate Justice position who will be assigned to the Appellate Division of ...


Apply Now ›