The People of the State of New York, Respondent v. Nasin Arafet, Appellant

Summary

The Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction, holding that evidence of the defendant's prior April 2000 trailer theft was inadmissible under Molineux but constituted harmless error, while evidence of the Gotay fencing operation and the 1996 theft with Quintanilla was admissible. The majority also rejected a “specialized crime” exception. Justice Ciparick dissented, arguing the admission of prior bad‑act evidence was not harmless and warranted reversal.