DECISION ORDER
Appeal by the defendant from a judgment of the County Court, Nassau County (La Pera, J.), rendered April 2, 1999, convicting him of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree (two counts), criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree (two counts), criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree, upon a jury verdict, and imposing sentence.
ORDERED that the judgment is affirmed.
The Supreme Court providently exercised its discretion by permitting the prosecutor to cross-examine the defendant with respect to various prior convictions and their underlying facts (see, People v. Pavao, 59 N.Y.2d 282; People v. Sandoval, 34 N.Y.2d 371). The mere fact that the prior convictions were similar in nature to the instant offense did not warrant their preclusion (see, People v. Pavao, supra; People v. Johnson, 249 A.D.2d 417).
The defendant's sentence was not excessive (see, People v. Suitte, 90 A.D.2d 80).