People v. Portese

The defendant has been convicted after a trial of illegally possessing a firearm after having been convicted of a crime in violation of section 1897 of the Penal Law.

Aside from certain alleged errors, the appeal presents the question of the sufficiency of the evidence of possession by the defendant. On that issue the People called but one witness, Sam Monte. Apparently a .32 caliber revolver was taken from the possession of Monte in the absence of the defendant by the Albany police and turned over to a police officer of the city of Glens Falls. Monte testified that he had visited a place…