State v. Osborne S. Maloney (068877) , 216 N.J. 91 ( 2013 )


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  •                                                                                      SYLLABUS
    (This syllabus is not part of the opinion of the Court. It has been prepared by the Office of the Clerk for the
    convenience of the reader. It has been neither reviewed nor approved by the Supreme Court. Please note that, in the
    interest of brevity, portions of any opinion may not have been summarized.)
    State v. Osborne S. Maloney (A-64-11) (068877)
    Argued November 28, 2012 -- Decided October 16, 2013
    ARIEL A. RODRÍGUEZ, P.J.A.D. (temporarily assigned), writing for a majority of the Court.
    In this appeal, the issue is whether the trial court was required to instruct the jury sua sponte on accomplice
    liability and whether it was also required to charge the jury on the lesser-included offenses of attempted theft by
    receiving stolen property and conspiracy to receive stolen property.
    This case stems from the armed robbery of the home of supermarket owner Syoma Shnayder (Sam) and his
    wife Rita Shnayder. Igor Chichelnitsky planned the robbery because Sam had turned down his offers to supply
    products to Sam’s supermarket stores. Chichelnitsky recruited defendant, Juan Rodriguez, and Nathan Jakubov to
    commit the robbery. According to the State, on August 16 or 17, 2005, defendant, Rodriguez, and Jakubov drove in
    Jakubov’s Lexus to “scope out” the Shnayder’s home in Monroe Township, at which time defendant took
    photographs of the house. On August 19, 2005, at approximately 10 p.m., Jakubov drove defendant and Rodriguez
    to the home again. Jakubov stayed in the Lexus while defendant and Rodriguez walked towards the home wearing
    black masks. Defendant carried a .38 caliber handgun and a knife, and Rodriguez carried a 9-millimeter handgun.
    Rita was not home but arrived during the robbery. At some point during the ordeal, Rita managed to run out of the
    house and called 911. Sam was able to get himself loose from zip ties, at which time defendant shot him in the
    abdomen and ran out of the house. Rodriguez, who was upstairs, heard the gunshot and came downstairs. He saw
    defendant running from the home and he ran too. Outside, Rodriguez saw Jakubov driving away with defendant.
    Rodriguez fled on foot with the stolen property: $7000 in cash and two expensive watches.
    Monroe Township police officers Richard Livingston and Allan Excel responded to the scene and received
    a description of the robbers. Shortly thereafter, they discovered Rodriguez several blocks away from the Shnayder
    home. When the officers approached him Rodriguez was sweaty, avoiding eye contact, and stuttering. Rodriguez
    identified himself and stated that he was coming from his friend’s house in Monroe. The officers noticed bulges in
    Rodriguez’s front pants pocket. Fearing he had a weapon, the officers conducted a pat-down search, which revealed
    two cellphones, two watches, $7000 in cash, and a black mask in Rodriguez’s back pocket. Officer Excel testified
    that Rodriguez stated that “he knew what went on down the street” and gave a description of the Lexus. The police
    arrested Rodriguez and gave him Miranda warnings. Rodriguez confessed that he, Jakubov, and defendant robbed
    the Shnayder home and that defendant shot Sam during the incident. At police headquarters, Rodriguez agreed to
    make a telephone call to defendant and Jakubov while the police listened. Rodriguez asked defendant and Jakubov
    to come back and get him, informing them that he had taken $7000 from the home. Jakubov and defendant told
    Rodriguez to “lay low” and promised that they would come and get him. Rodriguez called a second time and spoke
    to defendant. After confirming that Rodriguez had $7000 and two expensive watches, defendant agreed to pick him
    up at a nearby hotel. Defendant returned to Monroe in a taxi and the police took him into custody at the hotel.
    Defendant was charged with attempted murder, conspiracy to commit robbery, burglary, weapons offenses,
    and related charges stemming from the robbery. Defendant testified and denied participating either in the planning
    or commission of the robbery. He admitted to traveling to Monroe in early August 2005 with Jakubov and
    Rodriguez but denied knowing the purpose of the trip. Defendant further testified that he returned to the area of the
    robbery in the early morning after the armed robbery and shooting, believing that he would be reimbursed for his
    taxicab fare by Rodriguez, and that he would be paid some money after two stolen watches “were swapped.”
    Defense counsel requested that the jury be instructed on attempted theft by receiving stolen property as a
    lesser-included offense of robbery. The prosecutor objected, arguing such charge lacked a rational basis in the
    record. The judge denied defendant’s request. The judge also denied defense counsel’s request that the jury be
    instructed on conspiracy to commit theft as a lesser-included offense of robbery. Defendant did not request an
    accomplice liability instruction or object to the final jury charge. The jury found defendant guilty of second-degree
    conspiracy to commit armed robbery, second-degree conspiracy to commit burglary, two counts of first-degree
    armed robbery, second-degree burglary, second-degree possession of a weapon (a handgun) for an unlawful
    purpose, and third-degree criminal restraint.
    Defendant appealed. The Appellate Division rejected defendant’s argument that his convictions should be
    reversed because the judge did not instruct the jury sua sponte on accomplice liability or on two lesser-included
    offenses. The Appellate Division affirmed defendant’s convictions but concluded that the convictions for
    conspiracy to commit armed robbery and burglary as well as possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose
    merged with the armed robbery conviction, and remanded for the entry of a corrected judgment.
    The Supreme Court granted defendant’s petition for certification. 
    209 N.J. 97
     (2012).
    HELD: The trial court did not err by failing to sua sponte instruct the jury on accomplice liability and by rejecting
    defendant’s request to charge the jury on the asserted lesser-included offenses of attempted theft by receiving stolen
    property and conspiracy to receive stolen property.
    1. Whether a defendant is being prosecuted as a principal or an accomplice, “the State must prove that he possessed
    the mental state necessary to commit the offense.” State v. Whitaker, 
    200 N.J. 444
    , 458 (2009) (citing N.J.S.A.
    2C:2-2(a)). If the State’s theory is “that a defendant acted as an accomplice, the trial court is obligated to provide
    the jury with accurate and understandable jury instructions regarding accomplice liability even without a request by
    defense counsel.” State v. Bielkiewicz, 
    267 N.J. Super. 520
    , 527 (App. Div. 1993). On the other hand, when the
    State’s theory of the case only accuses the defendant of being a principal, and a defendant argues that he was not
    involved in the crime at all, then the judge is not obligated to instruct on accomplice liability. A court cannot
    charge the jury on a lesser-included offense “unless there is a rational basis for a verdict convicting the defendant of
    the included offense.” N.J.S.A. 2C:1-8e. If neither party requests a charge on a lesser-included offense, the court
    must sua sponte provide an instruction “‘when the facts adduced at trial clearly indicate that a jury could convict on
    the lesser while acquitting on the greater offense.’” State v. Thomas, 
    187 N.J. 119
    , 132 (2006) (quoting State v.
    Jenkins, 
    178 N.J. 347
    , 361 (2004)). (pp. 16-22)
    2. The trial judge did not commit plain error by failing to sua sponte instruct the jury on accomplice liability. Even
    if defendant had requested such a charge, the accomplice liability instruction would not have been warranted
    because it was not grounded in a rational basis in the trial evidence. None of the evidence presented by the State
    could support a jury finding that defendant was liable as an accomplice rather than as a principal and defendant
    suffered no prejudice by the judge’s failure to sua sponte charge the jury on accomplice liability. Further, despite
    defendant’s arguments, the evidence could not support a finding that defendant had a lesser intent than that required
    to commit robbery. Defendant’s request that the judge instruct the jury on two lesser-included offenses of robbery --
    attempted theft by receiving stolen property and conspiracy to receive stolen property -- was properly denied.
    Robbery is a crime against a person, which focuses on the use of force or threatened use of force against the victim.
    Attempted theft by receipt of stolen property and conspiracy to receive stolen property, on the other hand, are
    property crimes. Thus, the Appellate Division correctly decided that the trial court did not err by failing to sua
    sponte instruct the jury on accomplice liability and by rejecting defendant’s request to charge the jury on the
    asserted lesser-included offenses of attempted theft by receiving stolen property and conspiracy to receive stolen
    property. (pp. 22-26)
    The judgment of the Appellate Division is AFFIRMED.
    JUSTICE ALBIN filed a separate, DISSENTING opinion, stating that the trial judge was required to
    charge the jury on attempted theft by receiving stolen property as a related offense and that failing to give the jury
    the opportunity of convicting defendant of the offense he said he committed had the capacity of causing an unjust
    result.
    CHIEF JUSTICE RABNER; JUSTICES LaVECCHIA, HOENS, and PATTERSON; and JUDGE
    CUFF (temporarily assigned) join in JUDGE RODRÍGUEZ’s opinion. JUSTICE ALBIN filed a separate,
    dissenting opinion.
    2
    SUPREME COURT OF NEW JERSEY
    A-64 September Term 2011
    068877
    STATE OF NEW JERSEY,
    Plaintiff-Respondent,
    v.
    OSBORNE S. MALONEY,
    Defendant-Appellant.
    Argued November 28, 2012 – Decided October 16, 2013
    On certification to the Superior Court,
    Appellate Division.
    Stephen W. Kirsch, Assistant Deputy Public
    Defender, argued the cause for appellant
    (Joseph E. Krakora, Public Defender,
    attorney).
    Joie D. Piderit, Assistant Prosecutor,
    argued the cause for respondent (Bruce J.
    Kaplan, Middlesex County Prosecutor,
    attorney).
    JUDGE RODRÍGUEZ (temporarily assigned) delivered the
    opinion of the Court.
    In this case, the State alleged that defendant Osborne S.
    Maloney was part of a four-person conspiracy to commit a
    targeted armed robbery of a businessman at his home.   The
    State’s theory of the case was that one man was the ringleader,
    another the driver of the getaway car, and defendant and the
    fourth man were the ones that executed the planned armed
    1
    robbery, which went awry and resulted in the businessman being
    shot in the abdomen by defendant.
    The four men were arrested shortly thereafter.     One of the
    accused reached an agreement with the State and testified
    against defendant.   At his trial, defendant testified that he
    was not part of the conspiracy.    He admitted that the day after
    the armed robbery and shooting, he took a taxi from New York
    City to a hotel in Monroe Township to pick up a co-defendant in
    the hopes of obtaining the proceeds from the sale of watches
    stolen from the victim’s home.    The jury’s verdict was mostly
    consistent with the State’s theory.
    Defendant contends that his convictions should be reversed
    based on the judge’s failure to instruct the jury sua sponte on
    accomplice liability, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 2C:2-6 and State v.
    Bielkiewicz, 
    267 N.J. Super. 520
     (App. Div. 1993).    Defendant
    also contends that reversal is required for failure to charge
    two lesser-included offenses.    We affirm the judgment of the
    Appellate Division, which upheld the convictions.
    I.
    Defendant was charged with attempted murder, conspiracy to
    commit robbery, burglary, weapons offenses, and related charges
    stemming from the robbery of the home of supermarket owner Syoma
    Shnayder (Sam) and his wife Rita Shnayder.    Igor Chichelnitsky
    planned the robbery because Sam had turned down his offers to
    2
    supply products to Sam’s supermarket stores.     Chichelnitsky
    recruited defendant, Juan Rodriguez, and Nathan Jakubov to
    commit the robbery.   Pursuant to an agreement with the State,
    Rodriguez pleaded guilty to armed robbery and testified at the
    trial of defendant.
    The State’s evidence can be summarized as follows.       On
    August 16 or 17, 2005, defendant, Rodriguez, and Jakubov drove
    in Jakubov’s 2003 Lexus to “scope out” the Shnayder’s home in
    Monroe Township.   Defendant took photographs of the house.       On
    August 19, 2005, at approximately 10:00 p.m., Jakubov drove
    defendant and Rodriguez to the home again.     Jakubov stayed in
    the Lexus while defendant and Rodriguez walked towards the home
    wearing black masks covering their faces.    Defendant carried a
    .38 caliber handgun and a knife, and Rodriguez carried a 9-
    millimeter handgun.
    Defendant and Rodriguez went to the backyard of the house.
    Sam was “snoozing” in the hot tub.   Sam testified that someone
    in a black ski mask came up behind him, grabbed his hair, put a
    knife to his throat, and threatened to kill him if he screamed.
    A second man in a ski mask entered the backyard.     Sam’s hands
    were tied behind his back with plastic zip ties.    In his
    testimony, Rodriguez identified defendant as the man who put a
    knife to Sam’s throat.   Rodriguez also testified that he
    demanded to know where money was hidden.    Sam directed him to
    3
    the kitchen, where Rodriguez took $7000 from a table.      Rodriguez
    brought Sam upstairs to search for additional money.
    Rita returned home, noticed defendant, and began screaming
    while asking, “Where’s my husband?”    Defendant covered her mouth
    and held the knife to her head.    Sam and Rodriguez returned to
    the first floor.    Rita continued screaming.   Thereafter, Sam
    told the robbers he had two expensive watches in the kitchen,
    and one of the men retrieved the watches.
    Rita managed to free herself, ran to a neighbor’s home, and
    called 911.    Sam released his arms from the ties.    Defendant
    then shot Sam in the left side of his abdomen and ran out of the
    house.   Rodriguez testified that he was upstairs looking for
    more items to steal when he heard the gunshot.     He came
    downstairs and saw defendant running from the home.      Rodriguez
    began to follow but Sam grabbed him by the leg.       Rodriguez
    kicked himself free and ran out of the home.     Outside, he saw
    Jakubov driving away with defendant.    Rodriguez fled on foot.
    While doing so, he discarded the shirt he was wearing, his
    plastic gloves, and a handgun.
    Monroe Township police officers Richard Livingston and
    Allan Excel responded to the scene and received a description of
    the robbers.    Shortly thereafter, they discovered Rodriguez
    several blocks away from the Shnayder home.     When the officers
    approached him Rodriguez was sweaty, avoiding eye contact, and
    4
    stuttering.   Rodriguez identified himself and stated that he was
    coming from his friend’s house in Monroe.    The officers noticed
    bulges in Rodriguez’s front pants pocket.    Fearing he had a
    weapon, the officers conducted a pat-down search, which revealed
    two cellphones, two watches, $7000 in cash, and a black mask in
    Rodriguez’s back pocket.
    Officer Excel testified that Rodriguez stated that “he knew
    what went on down the street” and gave a description of the
    Lexus.   The police arrested Rodriguez and gave him Miranda1
    warnings.   Rodriguez confessed that he, Jakubov, and defendant
    robbed the Shnayder home and that defendant shot Sam during the
    incident.
    At police headquarters, Rodriguez agreed to make a
    telephone call to defendant and Jakubov while the police
    listened.   Rodriguez asked defendant and Jakubov to come back
    and get him, informing them that he had taken $7000 from the
    home.    Jakubov and defendant told Rodriguez to “lay low” and
    promised that they would come and get him.   Several minutes
    later, Rodriguez was informed by Jakubov’s girlfriend that
    Jakubov had been arrested for driving without a license.
    Rodriguez spoke to defendant and asked him to pick him up.
    Defendant asked how much money Rodriguez had removed from the
    1
    Miranda v. Arizona, 
    384 U.S. 436
    , 
    86 S. Ct. 1602
    , 
    16 L. Ed. 2d 694
     (1966).
    5
    premises.    Rodriguez confirmed that he had $7000 plus two
    expensive watches.    Defendant agreed to pick up Rodriguez at a
    nearby hotel.    Defendant returned to Monroe in a taxi and the
    police took him into custody at the hotel.
    Defendant testified and denied participating either in the
    planning or commission of the robbery.      Defendant admitted to
    traveling to Monroe in early August 2005 with Jakubov and
    Rodriguez but denied knowing the purpose of the trip.      According
    to defendant, Rodriguez took photographs of the Shnayder home.
    Defendant also denied that Jakubov and Rodriguez asked him to
    return to the area at a later date.
    Defendant testified that he returned to the area where the
    robbery took place in the early morning after the armed robbery
    and shooting.    He testified as follows on direct:
    [Defense Counsel]: Did you come down to
    Monroe Township on August 20th, 3 o’clock in
    the morning?
    [Defendant]:   Yes, ma’am.
    Q.   And how did you come to wind up coming
    down to Monroe Township?
    A.   All right.    Nathan [Jakubov] was
    with a girl that I hooked him up with.
    Q.   What’s that girl’s name?
    A.   Asia.
    Q.   Do you know her last name?
    
    6 A. I
     don’t    recall her last name.    I
    don’t, ma’am, no.     Nathan was with Asia, the
    girl I hooked him    up with. So, Asia called
    me and said Nathan   --
    [Assistant Prosecutor]:        Objection, hearsay.
    [Judge]:     Sustained.
    Q.   Did you receive a telephone call that
    evening?
    A.      Yes, ma’am.
    Q.   And as a result of that telephone call
    -- did the telephone call come from Asia?
    A.      Yes, ma’am.
    Q.   As a result of that telephone call, did
    you do something?
    A.      Yes, ma’am.
    Q.   And what was that?
    A.     I went to, I went -- I reported to
    Asia as    a result of that telephone call,
    ma’am.
    Q.   And then what happened?
    A.   Then when I reported to her, she
    was telling me what happened with Nathan.
    Q.   Okay.    And this was what time?
    A.   This is about midnight.        Midnight,
    a little past midnight, yeah.
    Q.   And what did you do after that?          What
    happened after that?
    A.   I got the property from Asia,
    Nathan’s property, like his chain, his
    wallet, his phone stuff, like that.
    7
    Q.   Where was Nathan if you know?
    A.   She had told me that he had got
    arrested. He got pulled over.
    Q.   Okay.    And then what happened?
    A.   Then while I had the phone, Juan
    Rodriguez called. I answered the phone. He
    told me that --
    [Assistant Prosecutor]:        Objection, hearsay.
    [Judge]:     Sustained.
    Q.   Did Juan      Rodriguez     ask   you   to   do
    anything?
    A.      Yes, ma’am.
    Q.   And as a result of Juan Rodriguez
    asking you to do something, what did you do?
    A.   I called the cab, Liberty Cab . .
    . and asked them, can I get a cab to Jersey.
    He said I have to wait about 30 minutes, 30,
    45 minutes, for a cab to take me to Jersey.
    Q.   Did Juan tell you he had any money on
    him?
    A.      No, no, ma’am.
    Q.   What did he tell you he had on him?
    A.      He told me --
    [Assistant Prosecutor]:        Objection.
    A.    He told me he had two watches,
    ma’am.
    [Judge]:     Sustained.
    Q.   Did you have any reason to believe
    after speaking with Juan that he had money
    8
    to go hire his own cab or limousine from
    where he was?
    A.   No ma’am.
    Q.   And did you go in the cab?
    A.   Yes, ma’am.
    Q.   And at some point, did you arrive in
    New Jersey?
    A.   Yes, ma’am.
    Q.   And what happened when you arrived in
    New Jersey?
    A.   When I got in front of the hotel,
    I called him back and told him I was in
    front of the hotel, to come outside, but as
    soon as I looked around, there was a lot of
    cops around and they pulled me out the car
    and leave me on the floor and asked me my
    name. I said my name is Osborne Maloney.
    Defendant admitted that he thought he would be reimbursed
    for his taxicab fare by Rodriguez, and that he would be paid
    some money after two stolen watches “were swapped.”
    At a conference to discuss the jury charge, defense counsel
    requested that the jury be instructed on attempted theft by
    receiving stolen property as a lesser-included offense of
    robbery.   The prosecutor objected, arguing such charge lacked a
    rational basis in the record for a jury to find that defendant
    received stolen property during the commission of a robbery.
    The judge denied defendant’s request.   The judge also denied
    defense counsel’s request that the jury be instructed on
    9
    conspiracy to commit theft as a lesser-included offense of
    robbery.
    Defendant did not request an accomplice liability
    instruction or object to the final jury charge.
    II.
    The jury found defendant guilty of second-degree conspiracy
    to commit armed robbery, N.J.S.A. 2C:5-2 and 2C:15-1; second-
    degree conspiracy to commit burglary, N.J.S.A. 2C:5-2 and 2C:18-
    2; two counts of first-degree armed robbery, N.J.S.A. 2C:15-1;
    second-degree burglary, N.J.S.A. 2C:18-2; second-degree
    possession of a weapon (a handgun) for an unlawful purpose,
    N.J.S.A. 2C:39-4a; and third-degree criminal restraint, N.J.S.A.
    2C:13-2.   In fashioning a sentence, the judge found three of the
    aggravating factors set by N.J.S.A. 2C:44-1a: (2) the gravity
    and seriousness of harm inflicted on the victim; (3) the risk
    that defendant will commit another offense; and (9) the need for
    deterring defendant and others from violating the law.    The
    judge found no mitigating factors, N.J.S.A. 2C:44-1b.    The judge
    imposed concurrent prison terms aggregating eighteen years
    subject to a period of parole ineligibility pursuant to the No
    Early Release Act, N.J.S.A. 2C:43-7.2, and a five-year term of
    parole supervision upon release.
    Defendant appealed.    The Appellate Division rejected
    defendant’s argument that his convictions should be reversed
    10
    because the judge did not instruct the jury sua sponte on
    accomplice liability.    The Appellate Division analogized this
    case to State v. Crumb, 
    307 N.J. Super. 204
    , 221-22 (App. Div.
    1997), certif. denied, 
    153 N.J. 215
     (1998), in which the
    appellate panel held that a defendant was not entitled to an
    accomplice liability instruction where the State prosecuted him
    as the principal and the defendant argued that he did not commit
    the crime at all.    In this case, the Appellate Division
    similarly held that, because defendant testified that he had no
    involvement either in the planning or commission of the crime
    and the State prosecuted defendant only as a principal, the
    accomplice liability instruction was not warranted and not
    plainly erroneous.   Thus, the Appellate Division concluded there
    was no rational basis to provide an accomplice liability
    instruction to the jury in this case.
    The Appellate Division also rejected defendant’s argument
    that the judge erred in failing to instruct the jury on two
    lesser-included offenses – “‘attempted theft via a theory of
    receiving stolen property as a lesser-included offense of the
    robbery’, and ‘[] conspiracy to commit theft . . . as a lesser-
    included offense of the charge of conspiracy to commit
    robbery.’”   The Appellate Division noted that “[i]t is clear
    from a plain reading of the statute [N.J.S.A. 2C:20-7a] that
    receiving stolen property under the present circumstances is not
    11
    a lesser-included offense of robbery.”    The appellate panel
    reasoned that “[r]eceiving stolen property requires proof that
    the defendant knew the property was stolen, and robbery requires
    the use or threat of force during the commission of a theft.”
    The Appellate Division also rejected defendant’s argument
    that the judge erred in not instructing the jury that receiving
    stolen property was a related offense.    It determined “that the
    two offenses do not share a common factual nucleus in that the
    same conduct does not establish the crimes of robbery and
    receipt of stolen property.”   The panel reasoned that “the
    robbery was completed before the alleged ‘attempted theft’ and
    ‘conspiracy to commit theft’ that defendant had requested be
    charged to the jury.”   Accordingly, the panel determined
    defendant’s requested charges were not related offenses and the
    judge had no duty to charge them.
    The Appellate Division affirmed defendant’s convictions but
    ordered that the convictions for conspiracy to commit armed
    robbery and burglary as well as possession of a weapon for an
    unlawful purpose merged with the armed robbery conviction, and
    remanded for the entry of a corrected judgment.    We granted
    defendant’s petition for certification.    
    209 N.J. 97
     (2012).
    III.
    Defendant contends that the Appellate Division erred by
    affirming the judge’s failure to charge the jury on accomplice
    12
    liability.   First, defendant argues that the absence of the
    charge left the jury unable to consider lesser-included offenses
    pursuant to Bielkiewicz, supra, 267 N.J. Super. at 520.
    Defendant also argues that the jury had no guidance to
    understand the accomplice liability issues if it did not find
    defendant liable as a principal.     Defendant points to
    inconsistencies in the jury’s verdict such as convicting
    defendant only of conspiracy to commit burglary and robbery
    rather than conspiracy to commit armed robbery, despite
    convicting him of armed robbery and armed burglary as an
    indication that the jury did not believe he was culpable as a
    principal.   He argues that the Appellate Division erred in
    discounting the possibility that the jury could reject both
    parties’ theories and instead reach a “middle-ground” conclusion
    that he participated as an accomplice.
    Defendant further argues that the judge had a duty sua
    sponte to instruct the jury on any lesser-included offenses.    He
    argues that the Appellate Division erred in concluding that the
    charges of attempted theft by receiving stolen property and
    conspiracy to commit theft by receiving stolen property were not
    lesser-included offenses of robbery.
    Defendant argues that the Appellate Division implicitly
    relied on State v. Smith, 
    136 N.J. 245
     (1994), in reaching the
    erroneous conclusion.   Defendant argues that the instant case is
    13
    more analogous to State v. Freeman, 
    324 N.J. Super. 463
     (App.
    Div. 1999), in which the Appellate Division required theft by
    deception to be charged as a lesser-included offense of robbery
    “where the theft pertained . . . to a portion of the same
    property alleged to be the proceeds of the robbery.”    Defendant
    argues that the property at issue in this case -- two watches --
    constituted proceeds of the robbery and that the judge’s failure
    to instruct on lesser-included offenses left the jury with stark
    choices:   either conviction of robbery or acquittal.   Finally,
    defendant argues that the Appellate Division misinterpreted
    prior cases in determining that receiving stolen goods from a
    robbery is not a crime related to the robbery of those goods.
    The State argues that, under the plain error standard under
    Rule 2:10-2, defendant’s convictions do not warrant reversal.
    The State notes that defendant neither requested an instruction
    on accomplice liability at trial nor objected to the final jury
    charge.    The State argues that the evidence did not provide a
    rational basis to charge defendant with accomplice liability.
    The State’s theory was that defendant conspired with his co-
    defendants to commit an armed robbery and acted as a principal.
    The defense theory was that defendant did not participate in or
    even know of the armed robbery and home invasion.
    The State also argues that defendant’s reliance on
    Bielkiewicz, is misplaced, because an instruction on accomplice
    14
    liability is not needed when neither party’s theory of the case
    suggests that defendant had a different mental state than that
    of a principal.    According to the State, defendant did not argue
    that he had a lesser mental state than his co-defendants.
    Rather, he argued that he had no culpable mental state.    The
    State also maintains that instructing the jury on accomplice
    liability would have prejudiced defendant because it would have
    provided the jury with an additional basis on which to convict
    defendant.
    The State also contends that the trial judge correctly
    determined that receiving stolen property cannot be a lesser-
    included offense of robbery because the former is a crime
    against property and the latter is a crime against a person.
    Additionally, the State argues that defendant failed to show
    that the trial court should have charged attempted receipt of
    stolen property as a related offense because that charge does
    not “share a common factual nucleus” with robbery, the actual
    offense charged.    See State v. Thomas, 
    187 N.J. 119
    , 130 (2006).
    Defendant testified that his participation was limited and did
    not commence until after the armed robbery and home invasion
    were completed.    At the time he decided to travel to Monroe,
    Rodriguez and Jakubov were in police custody, he simply drove to
    the locale of the crime to give Jakubov a ride home and hoped to
    15
    get reimbursed for the fare by getting part of the robbery
    proceeds.
    IV.
    When a defendant fails to raise an issue at trial,
    appellate review is governed by the plain error standard.      R.
    2:10-2.   “Any error or omission shall be disregarded by the
    appellate court unless it is of such a nature as to have been
    clearly capable of producing an unjust result.”    Ibid.; see
    State v. Galicia, 
    210 N.J. 364
    , 386 (2012); State v. Macon, 
    57 N.J. 325
    , 337 (1971).   If a defendant fails to object to a trial
    court’s instructions, the failure to challenge the jury charge
    is considered a waiver to object to the instruction on appeal.
    R. 1:7-2; State v. Torres, 
    183 N.J. 554
    , 564 (2005).
    In State v. Green, this Court held that “[a]ppropriate and
    proper charges to a jury are essential for a fair trial.”    
    86 N.J. 281
    , 287 (1981).   An erroneous jury charge “when the
    subject matter is fundamental and essential or is substantially
    material” is almost always considered prejudicial.     Id. at 291.
    Such errors are “poor candidates for rehabilitation under the
    harmless error philosophy.”    State v. Simon, 
    79 N.J. 191
    , 206
    (1979).   “[A] presumption of reversible error arises” that can
    only be excused if the error is determined to be “‘harmless
    beyond a reasonable doubt.’”   State v. Collier, 
    90 N.J. 117
    , 123
    16
    (1982) (quoting Chapman v. California., 
    386 U.S. 18
    , 24, 87 S.
    Ct. 824, 828, 
    17 L. Ed. 2d 705
    , 710 (1967)).
    N.J.S.A. 2C:2-6 governs accomplice liability, providing in
    pertinent part:
    a. A person is guilty of an offense if it is
    committed by his own conduct or by the
    conduct of another person for which he is
    legally accountable, or both.
    b. A person is legally accountable for the
    conduct of another person when . . .
    (3) He is an accomplice of such other
    person in the commission of an offense;
    . . .
    c. A person is an accomplice of another
    person in the commission of an offense if:
    (1) With the purpose of promoting or
    facilitating the commission of the offense;
    he
    (a) Solicits   such   other     person   to
    commit it;
    (b) Aids or agrees or attempts to aid
    such   other  person  in planning  or
    committing it . . . .
    [N.J.S.A. 2C:2-6.]
    Whether a defendant is being prosecuted as a principal or
    an accomplice, “the State must prove that he possessed the
    mental state necessary to commit the offense.”    State v.
    Whitaker, 
    200 N.J. 444
    , 458 (2009) (citing N.J.S.A. 2C:2-2(a)).
    “To be found guilty as an accomplice, a defendant must not only
    share the same intent as the principal who commits the crime,
    17
    but also must ‘at least indirectly participate[] in the
    commission of the criminal act.’”     Id. at 459 (quoting
    Bielkiewicz, supra, 267 N.J. Super. at 528).
    If the State’s theory is “that a defendant acted as an
    accomplice, the trial court is obligated to provide the jury
    with accurate and understandable jury instructions regarding
    accomplice liability even without a request by defense counsel.”
    Bielkiewicz, supra, 267 N.J. Super. at 527.    Furthermore, “when
    an alleged accomplice is charged with a different degree offense
    than the principal or lesser[-]included offenses are submitted
    to the jury, the court has an obligation to ‘carefully impart[]
    to the jury the distinctions between the specific intent
    required for the grades of the offense.’”     Id. at 528 (quoting
    State v. Weeks, 
    107 N.J. 396
    , 410 (1987)).    In Bielkiewicz, two
    co-defendants were found guilty of murder after a victim was
    killed by one gunshot wound to the chest.     Id. at 525-26.
    Because witnesses could not definitively identify which
    defendant fired the fatal shot, the State’s theory was the one
    defendant was guilty of murder as the principal and the other
    was guilty as an accomplice.   Id. at 526.   The Appellate
    Division determined that, based on the State’s theory of the
    case, the judge was obligated to “provide the jury with accurate
    and understandable instructions regarding accomplice liability
    for murder.”   Id. at 527.   The Appellate Division reversed
    18
    defendants’ convictions because the judge failed to charge on
    accomplice liability.   Id. at 536.
    When the State’s theory of the case only accuses the
    defendant of being a principal, and a defendant argues that he
    was not involved in the crime at all, then the judge is not
    obligated to instruct on accomplice liability.   See, e.g.,
    Crumb, supra, 307 N.J. Super. at 221-22; State v. Oliver, 
    316 N.J. Super. 592
    , 597 (App. Div. 1998), aff’d, 
    162 N.J. 580
    (2000); State v. Rue, 
    296 N.J. Super. 108
    , 115-16 (App. Div.
    1996), certif. denied, 
    148 N.J. 463
     (1997).
    N.J.S.A. 2C:1-8d governs lesser-included offenses.     The
    statute provides:
    A defendant may be convicted of an offense
    included in an offense charged whether or
    not the included offense is an indictable
    offense. An offense is so included when:
    (1) It is established by proof of the same
    or less than all the facts required to
    establish the commission of the offense
    charged; or
    (2) It consists of an attempt or conspiracy
    to commit the offense charged or to commit
    an offense otherwise included therein; or
    (3) It differs from the offense charged only
    in the respect that a less serious injury or
    risk of injury to the same person, property
    or public interest or a lesser kind of
    culpability suffices to establish its
    commission.
    [N.J.S.A. 2C:1-8d.]
    19
    N.J.S.A. 2C:1-8e provides that a court cannot charge the jury on
    a lesser-included offense “unless there is a rational basis for
    a verdict convicting the defendant of the included offense.”
    This Court has affirmed the statutory requirements, finding that
    “whether an included offense charge is appropriate requires (1)
    that the requested charge satisfy the definition of an included
    offense set forth in N.J.S.A. 2C:1-8d, and (2) that there be a
    rational basis in the evidence to support a charge on that
    included offense.”     Thomas, supra, 187 N.J. at 131.
    In Thomas, supra, this Court also addressed whether a judge
    sua sponte must charge the jury on a related offense not
    requested by either party.     Id. at 133.   This Court first
    distinguished between included offenses and related offenses,
    explaining that “[w]hether an offense is an included offense of
    another charge requires a comparison of the statutory elements
    of each charge.”     Id. at 129.   If the State requests an
    instruction on a lesser-included offense, it may be given only
    if the offense satisfies N.J.S.A. 2C:1-8d.      Id. at 131.     If the
    defendant makes such a request, the court must focus on whether
    there is a rational basis in the evidence to support such a
    charge.   Id. at 131-32.   If neither party requests a charge on a
    lesser-included offense, the court must sua sponte provide an
    instruction “‘when the facts adduced at trial clearly indicate
    that a jury could convict on the lesser while acquitting on the
    20
    greater offense.’”    Id. at 132 (quoting State v. Jenkins, 
    178 N.J. 347
    , 361 (2004)).
    In contrast, related offenses are those that “share a
    common factual ground, but not a commonality in statutory
    elements, with the crimes charged in the indictment.”       Ibid.
    This Court held that “due to constitutional grand jury and
    notice considerations, trial courts are under no obligation to
    give, sua sponte, a related offense instruction that is not
    requested by either the prosecution or the defense.”       Id. at
    123.    A court may instruct on a related offense when “the
    defendant requests or consents to the related offense charge,
    and there is a rational basis in the evidence to sustain the
    related offense.”    Id. at 133.    This Court emphasized that a
    trial court has no obligation to “‘scour the statutes to
    determine if there are some uncharged offenses of which the
    defendant may be guilty.’”       Ibid. (quoting State v. Brent, 
    137 N.J. 107
    , 118 (1994)).
    Robbery has been defined as a theft during which a
    defendant: “(1) [i]nflicts bodily injury or uses force upon
    another; or (2) [t]hreatens another with or purposely puts him
    in fear of immediate bodily injury; or (3) [c]ommits or
    threatens immediately to commit any crime of the first or second
    degree.”    N.J.S.A. 2C:15-1a.     On the other hand, one commits the
    offense of theft by receiving stolen property “if he knowingly
    21
    receives or brings into this State movable property of another
    knowing that it has been stolen, or believing that it is
    probably stolen. . . .   ‘Receiving’ means acquiring possession,
    control or title . . . of the property.”    N.J.S.A. 2C:20-7a.
    In examining whether a theft charge should be given in a
    robbery case, the Appellate Division in Freeman, noted that,
    “[i]n determining whether a theft charge of lesser degree, even
    if not a lesser-included offense, should be charged, the Court
    requires a careful analysis of not only the factual underpinning
    of the lesser charge but the harm to be protected against.”      324
    N.J. Super. at 470 (emphasis added).
    V.
    We hold that the judge did not commit plain error by
    failing to sua sponte instruct the jury on accomplice liability.
    Further, even if defendant had requested such a charge, the
    accomplice liability instruction would not have been warranted
    because it was not grounded in a rational basis in the trial
    evidence.
    First, we note that defendant’s reliance on inconsistencies
    in the jury’s verdict to bolster his argument that the jury
    might have convicted him as an accomplice rather than a
    principal is unpersuasive because the verdicts are returned long
    after the jury has been instructed.    Moreover, “[o]ur system of
    justice has long accepted inconsistent verdicts as beyond the
    22
    purview of correction by our court[].”     State v. Kelly, 
    201 N.J. 471
    , 487 (2010).
    Moreover, defendant was charged in the indictment as a
    principal in the robbery and attempted murder.    The State
    presented proofs consistent with the theory that Rodriguez and
    defendant were the only conspirators who entered the home and
    interacted with Sam and his wife.    Rodriguez testified that
    defendant shot Sam.   In addition, defendant’s DNA was recovered
    from items found in Jakubov’s Lexus, which was driven to and
    from the scene of the crime, long before the time he admitted
    that he returned to Monroe Township in a taxi.
    Defendant, on the other hand, testified that he did not go
    to the victims’ home the night of the robbery and shooting.
    Rather, he admitted that his only involvement in this case arose
    when he answered a call from Rodriguez made to Jakubov’s
    telephone, during which Rodriguez asked defendant to pick him up
    from a hotel in New Jersey.   Defendant went to the hotel
    expecting to receive the proceeds of some of the items stolen
    during the armed robbery.
    We conclude that none of the evidence presented by the
    State could support a jury finding that defendant was liable as
    an accomplice rather than as a principal.    Therefore, defendant
    suffered no prejudice by the judge’s failure to sua sponte
    charge the jury on accomplice liability.    See, e.g., Crumb,
    23
    supra, 307 N.J. Super. at 221-22; see also Oliver, supra, 316
    N.J. Super. at 597; Rue, supra, 296 N.J. Super. at 115-16.
    Further, despite defendant’s arguments, the evidence could
    not support a finding that defendant had a lesser intent than
    that required to commit robbery.       See Crumb, supra, 307 N.J.
    Super. at 221-22.    The jury had two options.    It could credit
    Rodriguez’s testimony that defendant was equally involved in
    planning and committing the robbery, or it could credit
    defendant’s contrary testimony.    The evidence could not support
    a finding that defendant was guilty as an accomplice in the
    armed robbery, shooting or burglary.
    We also conclude that defendant’s request that the judge
    instruct the jury on two lesser-included offenses of robbery --
    attempted theft by receiving stolen property and conspiracy to
    receive stolen property -- was properly denied.      The statutory
    elements of those offenses, set forth above, do not overlap.
    Compare N.J.S.A. 2C:15-1a, with N.J.S.A. 2C:20-7a.      We agree
    with the trial court and the Appellate Division’s reasoning that
    robbery is a crime against a person, which focuses on the use of
    force or threatened use of force against the victim.      See
    N.J.S.A. 2C:15-1a.   Attempted theft by receipt of stolen
    property and conspiracy to receive stolen property, on the other
    hand, are property crimes.    See N.J.S.A. 2C:20-7a.
    24
    Beyond the lack of shared statutory elements, the record
    does not provide a rational basis for charging attempted theft
    by receipt of stolen property or conspiracy to receive stolen
    property as a lesser-included offense of robbery.   See Thomas,
    supra, 187 N.J. at 131; see also Smith, supra, 136 N.J. at 250
    (concluding that theft of services is not a lesser-included
    offense of armed robbery because they have different “operative
    ingredient[s] -- deception in the one case, the threat of
    immediate bodily injury in the other”).   As discussed
    previously, defendant testified that he had no involvement
    whatsoever with the conspiracy, burglary, armed robbery or
    shooting of the victim.   That factual scenario could not support
    a finding that defendant’s requested attempt and conspiracy jury
    charges were lesser-included offenses.
    Thus, our review of the record leads to the conclusion that
    the receipt of stolen property offenses do not share a common
    factual nucleus with the robbery charge in this case.    See
    Thomas, supra, 187 N.J. at 130 (citing N.J.S.A. 2C:1-8a).      The
    robbery took place at the Shnayder’s home hours before Rodriguez
    contacted defendant to request a ride home.   Defendant adamantly
    denied being present at the robbery and instead testified that
    he only went to the hotel in the early morning hours after the
    robbery to pick up watches that were stolen from the Shnayder’s
    home.
    25
    The issue of related offenses was not raised by defendant
    in the Appellate Division.   Thus, we merely note that the
    watches alone are not enough to establish a common factual
    nucleus between the robbery charge and attempted theft by
    receiving stolen property.
    By way of summary, we hold that the Appellate Division
    correctly decided that the trial court did not err by failing to
    sua sponte instruct the jury on accomplice liability and by
    rejecting defendant’s request to charge the jury on the asserted
    lesser-included offenses of attempted theft by receiving stolen
    property and conspiracy to receive stolen property.
    VI.
    The judgment of the Appellate Division is affirmed.
    CHIEF JUSTICE RABNER; JUSTICES LaVECCHIA, HOENS, and
    PATTERSON; and JUDGE CUFF (temporarily assigned) join in JUDGE
    RODRIGUEZ’s (temporarily assigned) opinion. JUSTICE ALBIN filed
    a separate, dissenting opinion.
    26
    SUPREME COURT OF NEW JERSEY
    A-64 September Term 2011
    068877
    STATE OF NEW JERSEY,
    Plaintiff-Respondent,
    v.
    OSBORNE S. MALONEY,
    Defendant-Appellant.
    JUSTICE ALBIN, dissenting.
    Defendant Osborne Maloney was indicted for a number of
    offenses relating to a home invasion, including second-degree
    conspiracy to commit burglary (N.J.S.A. 2C:18-2 and N.J.S.A.
    2C:5-2), second-degree aggravated assault (N.J.S.A. 2C:12-
    1(b)(1)), first-degree attempted murder (N.J.S.A. 2C:11-3(a)(1)
    and N.J.S.A. 2C:5-1), and first-degree armed robbery (N.J.S.A.
    2C:15-1).    Codefendant Juan Rodriguez implicated Maloney in the
    robbery and shooting of the homeowner.      Maloney, however, denied
    committing those crimes and testified that the only crime he
    committed was agreeing to receive stolen property from
    Rodriguez.       Maloney requested that the trial judge instruct the
    jury on attempted theft by receiving stolen property.      Although
    Maloney’s attorney wrongly characterized attempted theft by
    receiving stolen property as a lesser-included offense of
    robbery, receiving stolen property clearly was a related offense
    1
    to robbery.   Nevertheless, the trial judge refused to charge the
    jury on attempted theft by receiving stolen property -- the
    offense Maloney admitted committing.
    In my view, the trial judge erred in not giving the charge
    to the related offense of receiving stolen property.   That is
    because the jury was left with rendering an all-or-nothing
    outcome -- either convict Maloney of the offenses related to the
    home invasion or acquit him despite his admission to committing
    the crime of attempted receipt of stolen property.
    Consequently, if the jury believed Maloney, it was left with the
    bleak option of completely acquitting him even though he
    admitted to committing the crime of attempted theft.   By the
    standards of our jurisprudence, failing to give the jury the
    opportunity of convicting Maloney of the offense he said he
    committed had the capacity of causing an unjust result.    I
    therefore respectfully dissent.
    I.
    A trial judge is required to charge the jury with offenses
    related to those in the indictment, provided that the defendant
    requests the charge and the charge is factually supported by the
    record.   N.J.S.A. 2C:1-8(e); State v. Sloane, 
    111 N.J. 293
    , 299
    (1988) (citing State v. Crisantos, 
    102 N.J. 265
    , 278 (1986)).
    The purpose of this rule is to avoid presenting the jury with an
    2
    “all-or-nothing” choice, a choice between convicting a defendant
    of an offense greater than the one he committed and not
    convicting him at all despite his guilt of a lesser offense.
    See State v. Garron, 
    177 N.J. 147
    , 180 (2003) (“No defendant
    should be convicted of a greater crime or acquitted merely
    because the jury was precluded from considering a lesser offense
    that is clearly indicated in the record.”), cert. denied, 
    540 U.S. 1160
    , 
    124 S. Ct. 1169
    , 
    157 L. Ed. 2d 1204
     (2004).    We have
    expressed concern that a jury faced with that stark alternative
    may be more likely to err on the side of convicting rather than
    acquitting.   See Keeble v. United States, 
    412 U.S. 205
    , 212-13,
    
    93 S. Ct. 1993
    , 1997-98, 
    36 L. Ed. 2d 844
    , 850 (1973) (“Where
    one of the elements of the offense charged remains in doubt, but
    the defendant is plainly guilty of some offense, the jury is
    likely to resolve its doubts in favor of conviction.”), quoted
    in Sloane, supra, 111 N.J. at 299.
    In determining whether an uncharged offense is related to
    an offense charged in an indictment, we do not compare the
    statutory elements between the two, as we would if considering a
    lesser-included offense.    State v. Thomas, 
    187 N.J. 119
    , 129-30
    (2006).    Instead, we focus on “whether the offense charged and
    the related offense share a common factual nucleus.”     Id. at
    130.    Our jurisprudence does not provide a neat definition of
    what constitutes a “common factual nucleus” shared by a charged
    3
    offense and an uncharged related offense.   However, in this
    case, it would be fair to say that the stolen property from a
    robbery that is also the factual predicate for receiving stolen
    property is the “common factual nucleus” shared by both crimes.
    Robbery is nothing more than an aggravated theft.    See
    N.J.S.A. 2C:15-1(a).   A theft occurs when a person “unlawfully
    takes, or exercises unlawful control over, movable property of
    another with purpose to deprive him thereof.”   N.J.S.A. 2C:20-
    3(a).   Receiving stolen property occurs when a person “knowingly
    receives . . . movable property of another knowing that it has
    been stolen, or believing that it is probably stolen.”   N.J.S.A.
    2C:20-7.   The stolen property is the common nucleus between the
    two offenses.   That prosecutors routinely charge defendants
    alternatively with theft and/or receiving stolen property is a
    recognition of the close tie between the two offenses.   Thus, in
    a prosecution with alternative theories, a jury presented with
    facts establishing that a defendant is knowingly in possession
    of stolen property does not have to acquit if the State cannot
    prove theft beyond a reasonable doubt.   The same logic applies
    here, but to the advantage of defendant.
    II.
    Defendant was charged with robbery and requested that the
    jury be given the option of convicting him of the lesser,
    4
    related offense of attempted receipt of stolen property.     The
    request was defendant’s consent to forgo any objection he could
    have raised to submission to the jury of an offense not
    contained in the indictment.     See Thomas, supra, 187 N.J. at
    132-33.   That defendant’s lawyer inartfully requested the charge
    by characterizing the receiving charge as a lesser-included
    offense rather than a related offense should not make a
    difference.   Certainly, formalism should not prevail over
    substance, particularly when the requested charge is supported
    by the record.
    Here, the jury was given the all-or-nothing alternative
    that our jurisprudence cautions against.    Defendant’s request
    for the related-offense charge and the trial court’s failure to
    give the charge caused presumptive prejudice.      State v. Nelson,
    
    173 N.J. 417
    , 446 (2002) (“‘[S]o critical is the need for
    accuracy that erroneous instructions on material points are
    presumed to be reversible error.’”) (quoting State v. Martin,
    
    119 N.J. 2
    , 15 (1990)).   In short, because the trial judge’s
    error had the capacity to cause an unjust result, defendant
    should be granted a new trial.    See R. 2:10-2.   I therefore
    cannot agree with the majority’s affirmance of defendant’s
    conviction.   For this reason, I respectfully dissent.
    5
    SUPREME COURT OF NEW JERSEY
    NO.     A-64                     SEPTEMBER TERM 2011
    ON CERTIFICATION TO             Appellate Division, Superior Court
    STATE OF NEW JERSEY,
    Plaintiff-Respondent,
    v.
    OSBORNE S. MALONEY,
    Defendant-Appellant.
    DECIDED            October 16, 2013
    Chief Justice Rabner             PRESIDING
    OPINION BY             Judge Rodriguez
    CONCURRING/DISSENTING OPINIONS BY
    DISSENTING OPINION BY                     Justice Albin
    CHECKLIST                        AFFIRM         REVERSE
    CHIEF JUSTICE RABNER               X
    JUSTICE LaVECCHIA                  X
    JUSTICE ALBIN                                        X
    JUSTICE HOENS                         X
    JUSTICE PATTERSON                     X
    JUDGE RODRÍGUEZ (t/a)                 X
    JUDGE CUFF (t/a)                      X
    TOTALS                                6              1
    1