PRESS RELEASE
FROM: HOLLEY CARNRIGHT, DISTRICT ATTORNEY
DATE: JANUARY 12, 2017
The Appellate Division, Third Department has today unanimously affirmed the August, 2011 conviction of Arnayis Franklin, a/k/a Artie, a/k/a Arnie upon his plea of guilty convicting him of the crime of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree as a result of his possession of two ounces of cocaine.
In June, 2011, the defendant pled guilty to criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree in exchange for a State prison term of seven years to be followed by two years of postrelease supervision.
On appeal, defendant argued that the underlying indictment was jurisdictionally defective, that he was denied the effective assistance of counsel, that County Court erred in granting his request to represent himself at sentencing and that his already completed sentence should be vacated due to the People’s failure to file a prior felony statement. These claims were determined baseless and rejected by the Appellate Division, Third Department.
On appeal, the defendant is represented by Aaron A. Louridas, Esq. of Delmar, New York. Assistant District Attorney Joan Gudesblatt Lamb, Esq. handled the appeal for the District Attorney’s Office.