Wrongly Convicted Database Record
|
Charge: |
Extortion |
Sentence: |
3 years |
Years Imprisoned: |
0.29 |
Year Crime: |
|
Year Convicted: |
1989 |
Year Cleared: |
1993 |
U.S. State or Country of Crime: |
New York - Federal Case |
County or Region of Crime: |
New York |
City of Crime: |
New York City |
Result: |
Judicially Exonerated Released |
Summary of Case: |
"Robert Garcia and his wife Janie Lee Garcia were codefendants wrongly convicted twice of extortion, first in October 1989 and again in 1991. Garcia was a former U. S. Congressman representing the Bronx in New York City. Garcia and his wife were alleged to have extorted $76,000 in payoffs and a $20,000 interest-free loan from Wedtech Corp. Wedtech was a military contractor based in the Bronx that allegedly bribed officials to get government contracts. Garcia and his wife were both sentenced to 3 years in prison. After the Garcia's were convicted in 1989 their convictions were overturned on June 29, 1990, by the 2nd Circuit Ct of Appeals. After the Garcia's were convicted again after a retrial in 1991 their convictions were overturned in April 1993. In September 1993 the U.S. Attorney's Office announced it would not retry the Garcia's and moved to dismiss the charges. Garcia was wrongly incarcerated for nine months while his wife was in custody for 104 days." |
Conviction Caused By: |
|
Innocence Proved By: |
After the Garcia's were convicted again after a retrial in 1991 their convictions were overturned in April 1993. In September 1993 the U.S. Attorney's Office announced it would not retry the Garcia's and moved to dismiss the charges. |
Defendant Aided By: |
|
Compensation Awarded: |
|
Was Perpetrator Identified? |
|
Age When Imprisoned: |
|
Age When Released: |
|
Sex: |
Female |
Skin/Ethnicity: |
White |
Information Source 1: |
"U.S. Will Not Retry Garcia in Extortion, AP Story, The New York Times, September 16, 1993" |
Information Location 1: |
http://www.nytimes.com/1993/09/16/nyregion/us-will-not-retry-garcia-in-extortion.html |
Information Source 2: |
"Ex-Congressman Leaves Prison After Conviction Is Overturned, Los Angeles Times, July 1, 1990" |
Information Location 2: |
|
Information Source 3: |
"Garcia Free, Conviction Overturned, Times Daily (Florence, AL), July 1, 1990, p. 4" |
Information Location 3: |
"http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=AkoeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BMcEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5317,19274&dq=conviction+overturned&hl=en" |
Information Source 4: |
|
Information Location 4: |
|
Information Source 5: |
|
Information Location 5: |
|
Book About Case: |
|
Book Information: |
|
Book About Case (2): |
|
Book Information (2): |
|
Movie About Case: |
|
Comments About Case: |
Innocents Database Created and Maintained by Hans Sherrer innocents@forejustice.org