People v. Colasanti

The only issue of consequence on this appeal is whether the prosecution established the value of the stolen prop*436erty to be in excess of $1,500 in order to justify the conviction of defendant of criminal possession of stolen property in the first degree (Penal Law, § 165.50).

The property in question consisted of about 600,000 librium pills, called Libratabs, a controlled drug. The stolen pills had been at one time restrictedly distributed by the manufacturer to hospitals and physicians without charge for experimental use, and, hence, at the time of original distribution had no “ market price ”…