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PEOPLE v. RIVERA

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department.
Jul 28, 2003
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DECISION ORDER

ORDERED that the judgment is affirmed.

The defendant's contention that the evidence was legally insufficient to establish his guilt is unpreserved for appellate review since he did not specify this ground in his motion to dismiss at trial ( see CPL 470.05; People v. Gray, 86 N.Y.2d 10; People v. Udzinski, 146 A.D.2d 245). In any event, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution (see People v. Contes, 60 N.Y.2d 620), we find that it was legally sufficient to establish the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Moreover, resolution of issues of credibility, as well as the weight to be accorded to the evidence presented, are primarily questions to be determined by the trier of fact, which saw and heard the witnesses (see People v. Gaimari, 176 N.Y. 84, 94). Its determination should be accorded great weight on appeal and should not be disturbed unless clearly unsupported by the record (see People v. Garafolo, 44 A.D.2d 86, 88). Upon the exercise of our factual review power, we are satisfied that the verdict of guilt was not against the weight of the evidence (see CPL 470.15).

The defendant has not preserved for appellate review his contention that the jury charge regarding interested witnesses was unbalanced (see CPL 470.05; People v. Udzinski, supra). In any event, the charge adequately conveyed to the jury the appropriate standards for evaluating witness testimony ( see People v. Inniss, 83 N.Y.2d 653; People v. Johnson, 284 A.D.2d 344).

PRUDENTI, P.J., TOWNES, MASTRO and RIVERA, JJ., concur.