Informal Opinion No.

Raymond S. Sant, Esq. County Attorney, Cayuga

This is in response to your request for an Attorney General's opinion as to a county's authority to obtain reimbursement for the expense of assigned counsel pursuant to article 18-B of the County Law.

Your initial question concerns the situation where an indigent defendant is represented by an attorney appointed pursuant to article 18-B of the County Law, is found guilty, and is sentenced to perform community service pursuant to an alternative sentence program. You have asked whether the court may impose additional community service time to benefit…