Wrongly Convicted Database Record
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Charge: |
"Theft (including swindling/fraud, deception and grand larceny)" |
Sentence: |
12 years |
Years Imprisoned: |
0.75 |
Year Crime: |
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Year Convicted: |
1983 |
Year Cleared: |
1984 |
U.S. State or Country of Crime: |
Australia |
County or Region of Crime: |
Western Australia |
City of Crime: |
Perth |
Result: |
Judicially Exonerated Released |
Summary of Case: |
"One of the three Mickelberg brothers, Raymond Mickelberg, Peter Mickelberg and Brian Mickelberg, convicted in 1983 of defrauding the Perth Mint of gold bullion valued at $653,000 in exchange for worthless checks. Brother Brian's conviction was overturned in 1984 after he served 9 months in prison of a 12 year sentence. Raymond was released from prison in 1991 after serving 8 years of a 20 year sentence, and Peter was released in 1989 after serving 6 years of a 14 year sentence.. In 2002 one of the investigating officers, Tony Lewandowski, admitted the three brothers were innocent victims of a "frame-up" by him and former CIB Chief Don Hancock. The two men fabricated evidence and committed perjury at the men's trial to make the innocent men appear guilty. He also said that during an interview they forced Peter Mickelberg to strip and Don Hancock then assaulted him. Brothers Raymond and Peter had 7 appeals denied prior to the admissions by Lewandowski, and they filed appeal no 8 based on the new evidence. Lewandowski committed suicide in 2004, and in September 2005 the two surviving brothers purchased, with the help of The Sun newspaper (Perth, Western Australia), Lewandowski's personal records of the frame-up that had been stored in Thailand by his Thai girlfriend." |
Conviction Caused By: |
Fabricated evidence and perjured testimony by police investigator and a bank official. |
Innocence Proved By: |
Conviction reversed by appeals court in 1984. |
Defendant Aided By: |
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Compensation Awarded: |
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Was Perpetrator Identified? |
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Age When Imprisoned: |
36 |
Age When Released: |
37 |
Sex: |
Male |
Skin/Ethnicity: |
White |
Information Source 1: |
"Brothers Plan Appeal No. 8 After Police Confession, Selina Day and Liza Kappelle (staff), The Age, Melbourne, Australia, June 12, 2002." |
Information Location 1: |
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/06/11/1022982845280.html |
Information Source 2: |
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Information Location 2: |
http://www.bookscope.com.au/index.htm |
Information Source 3: |
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Information Source 4: |
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Information Source 5: |
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Information Location 5: |
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Book About Case: |
"The Mickelberg Stitch, Avon Lovell" |
Book Information: |
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Book About Case (2): |
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Book Information (2): |
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Movie About Case: |
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Comments About Case: |
Innocents Database Created and Maintained by Hans Sherrer innocents@forejustice.org