People v. Cooper

—Judgment, Supreme Court, New York County (Felice Shea, J.), rendered January 29, 1993, convicting defendant, after a jury trial, of two counts of grand larceny in the fourth degree, and sentencing him, as a second felony offender, to concurrent terms of 2 to 4 years, unanimously affirmed.

Before commencement of jury selection, the court asked defendant if he would waive his right to be present at sidebar conferences where prospective jurors could discuss any personal matters with the court and the attorneys in private. When defendant declined, the court responded that it would not invite such…