People v Zmitrovis, 2019 NY Slip Op 03386 [172 AD3d 765]

May 1, 2019

Appellate Division, Second Department

[*1]

The People of the State of New York, Respondent,

v

Justin Zmitrovis, Appellant.

Karen G. Leslie, Riverhead, NY, for appellant.

Timothy D. Sini, District Attorney, Riverhead, NY (Thomas C. Costello of counsel), for respondent.

Appeal by the defendant, as limited by his motion, from a sentence of the County Court, Suffolk County (Richard Ambro, J.), imposed May 24, 2018, upon his plea of guilty, on the ground that the sentence was excessive.

Ordered that the sentence is affirmed.

The defendant’s purported waiver of the right to appeal was invalid and, thus, does not preclude review of his excessive sentence claim ( see People v Lopez , 6 NY3d 248 , 257 [2006]). The County Court’s limited colloquy did not ensure that the defendant understood the nature of the right to appeal ( see id. at 257; People v DeJesus , 169 AD3d 712 , 712 [2019]; People v Brown , 122 AD3d 133 , 137-138 [2014]).

However, the sentence imposed was not excessive ( see People v Suitte , 90 AD2d 80 [1982]). Balkin, J.P., Chambers, Cohen, Barros and Connolly, JJ., concur..