People v. Richards

*137Judgment, Supreme Court, New York County (Edwin Torres, J), rendered July 16, 2003, convicting defendant, upon his plea of guilty, of attempted rape in the first degree, and sentencing him to a term of four years, unanimously reversed, on the law and the facts, the plea vacated and the matter remanded for further proceedings.

Before sentencing, defendant, represented by new counsel, moved to withdraw his guilty plea. Defendant alleged that, in an off-the-record conference, the judge had threatened to impose a maximum sentence of 15 years if defendant were convicted after trial. Such a threat,…