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Wrongly Convicted Database Record
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Charge: |
Drug related conspiracy |
Sentence: |
Exonerated After Conviction But Prior to Sentencing |
Years Imprisoned: |
5.33 |
Year Crime: |
2011 |
Year Convicted: |
2016 |
Year Cleared: |
2019 |
U.S. State or Country of Crime: |
New York - Federal Case |
County or Region of Crime: |
Monroe |
City of Crime: |
Rochester |
Result: |
Judicially Exonerated |
Summary of Case: |
"Janine Plaza Pierce was wrongly convicted on July 28, 2016 of narcotics conspiracy in U.S. District Court in Rochester, New York. The trial of Janine Pierce and her two sons, Pablo “Paul” Plaza, and James Kendrick, began June 8, 2016. They had been indicted of murder and drug charges on March 2, 2011 related to an alleged Rochester area cocaine, heroin, and marijuana distribution ring involving eleven people that operated from 1993 to February 2011, and a 1998 and 1999 murder. Pierce was indicted for the drug conspiracy charges and the 1998 murder. The key evidence against Pierce was the testimony of government informants and co-defendants who had pled guilty. After a seven week trial Pierce was acquitted of the murder charge, but convicted of the drug conspiracy charge. The narcotics charge carried a mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison, a maximum term of life, and a maximum $4,000,000 fine. Her two sons were convicted of all charges against them and faced a sentence of life in prison. On July 29, 2016, the day after Pierce's conviction, U.S. District Court Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr. set aside the jury's guilty verdict on the basis it was inconsistent with the jury’s findings on eight interrogatories. The government appealed Judge Geraci's ruling. On October 10, 2019 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed Judge Geraci's order dated August 1, 2016." |
Conviction Caused By: |
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Innocence Proved By: |
"On July 29, 2016, the day after Janine Pierce's conviction, U.S. District Court Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr. set aside the jury's guilty verdict on the basis it was inconsistent with the jury’s findings on eight interrogatories. The government appealed Judge Geraci's ruling. On October 10, 2019 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed Judge Geraci's order dated August 1, 2016." |
Defendant Aided By: |
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Compensation Awarded: |
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Was Perpetrator Identified? |
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Age When Imprisoned: |
57 |
Age When Released: |
63 |
Sex: |
Female |
Skin/Ethnicity: |
White |
Information Source 1: |
"USA v. Janine Plaza Pierce, No. 16-3030-cr (2nd Cir. 10/10/2019) (Affirming trial judge's order setting aside jury's guilty verdict based on it being inconsistent with the jury’s findings on eight interrogatories.)" |
Information Location 1: |
https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca2/16-3030/16-3030-2019-10-10.html |
Information Source 2: |
"Rochester brothers guilty of murder in long-running drug business, by Associated Press, WHAM.com (Buffalo, NY), July 29 2016" |
Information Location 2: |
https://13wham.com/news/local/rochester-brothers-guilty-of-murder-in-long-running-drug-business |
Information Source 3: |
"Six Defendants Charged with Murder; Eleven Defendants Indicted for Narcotics and Firearms Offenses, Press Release, U.S. Attorney’s Office (Rochester, NY), March 2, 2011" |
Information Location 3: |
https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/buffalo/press-releases/2011/bffo030211.htm |
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Comments About Case: |
Innocents Database Created and Maintained by Hans Sherrer innocents@forejustice.org