People v. Rivera

Appeal by the defendant from a judgment of the Supreme Court, Kings County (Firetog, J.), rendered November 23, 2009, convicting him of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, upon a jury verdict, and imposing sentence.

Ordered that the judgment is reversed, on the law, and a new trial is ordered on the count of the indictment charging the defendant with criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree.

“A criminal defendant has the absolute right to be present at all material stages of trial” (People v Dini, 292 AD2d 631, 632 [2002]; see CPL 260.20; see also Snyder v…