PEOPLE v. FRANKLIN

The court properly exercised its discretion in denying defendant's motion to withdraw his plea on the grounds that he felt "pressured" into pleading guilty. The careful allocution by the court demonstrates that defendant's plea was knowing, intelligent and voluntary (People v. Council, 162 A.D.2d 293, 294, lv denied 76 N.Y.2d 854). The court also properly denied defendant's application for the reassignment of counsel because he had been "encouraged" to accept the plea (People v. Newell, 200 A.D.2d 451). Counsel secured an extremely lenient sentence for defendant and as the court noted, he exhibited what was characterized as "extraordinary diligence and dedication."

Concur — Kupferman, J.P., Ross, Rubin and Williams, JJ.