Robert S. Dean, Center for Appellate Litigation, New York (Bruce D. Austern of counsel), for appellant.
Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., District Attorney, New York (Susan Gliner of counsel), for respondent.
Opinion
Judgment, Supreme Court, New York County (Jill Konviser, J.), rendered April 30, 2013, convicting defendant, upon his plea of guilty, of conspiracy in the fourth degree and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, and sentencing him, as a second felony drug offender previously convicted of a violent felony, to an aggregate term of eight years, unanimously affirmed.
The court properly adjudicated defendant a second felony drug offender whose prior felony conviction was a violent felony. Defendant's conviction of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree pursuant to former Penal Law § 265.02(4) qualifies as a violent felony (see e.g. People v. McGhee, 125 A.D.3d 537, 4 N.Y.S.3d 186 1st Dept.2015, lv. granted 26 N.Y.3d 968, 18 N.Y.S.3d 605, 40 N.E.3d 583 2015; People v. Thomas, 122 A.D.3d 489, 995 N.Y.S.2d 508 1st Dept.2014, lv. denied 24 N.Y.3d 1123, 3 N.Y.S.3d 764, 27 N.E.3d 478 2015 ), and we decline to revisit our prior holdings on this issue.
Defendant made a valid waiver of his right to appeal (see People v. Lopez, 6 N.Y.3d 248, 256–257, 811 N.Y.S.2d 623, 844 N.E.2d 1145 2006 ), which forecloses review of his excessive sentence claim. Regardless of whether defendant validly waived his right to appeal, we perceive no basis for reducing the sentence.