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Innocence Project
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New York, NY 10013
info@innocenceproject.org
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the police brought bower in and they brought in people to make an ID. the cops that were involved did not believe Bower did it and tried to right the wrong. The DA could care less. Neither the cops or the DA were trying to protect Perez. In the case of the cops they were trying to do the right thing. The DA was only interested in convicting anyone for the crimes and refused to listen to reason.

Gousse was finishing up a sentence for a felony. At the completion of the sentence he was going to be deported for that crime he committed in Queens County. The DA, during the trials and appeals stated on the record they didn’t know he was going to be deported. But the felony rap still stood and it needed to be corrected. Gousse files an appeal to have the felony vacated because he had ineffective counsel, i.e., the lawyer didn’t tell him if he pled guilty he could be deported. He filed a motion without a lawyer to have the sentence vacated when he already did the time. His pro se motion wasn’t opposed by the DA. Other things happened that would be described as ‘the deal of the century.’ Evidence suggested that the DA helped him even further with later crimes he committed and was convicted of. They delayed sentencing so as not to go on the ICE computers. Gousse will later go on a reign of terror of kidnapping and robbery. It will all culminate when Gousse kills a banker named James Gottlieb in Jan 05, and while he pulled Gottlieb over pretending to be a police officer.

DA Brown would give a press release suggesting that he and the NYPD informed NCPD that Gousse had a history of cop impersonation to commit robberies. No such thing happened, it was the lawyer for George Bell, an attorney named Mitchell Dinnerstein that called NCPD and gave them the information. He would later receive a Good Guy Award for his contribution in solving this well publicized case.

It is my opinion that if DA Brown did get this information he would have pooh pooed it lest he look like the fool that he has proven to be with this case and the Bower case.

What makes this even worse is that I have confidential and off-the-record information that many in high places in the district attorney’s office believe these men may be innocent.

The Courts routinely ignore the appeals so as not to embarrass the district attorney. The ‘system’ must be protected at all costs even if it means innocent men must rot in jail.

The ‘system’ is in a state of chaos and no one is willing to set it right, lest their own shortcomings are noted.

These men were convicted on perjured testimony, the cops concocted it and the district attorney went right along with it.

There is one eyewitness that put one man in jail for 50 to Life. That man made no confession. His only mistake was that when he was interrogated by the police he told them he was picking up his nurse wife in Manhattan when the crime was committed. The rest of it is based on the false identification of one man – an identification that was contradicted in part by other witnesses. The lying witness said the tow suspects were wearing a black coat and a dark blue coat. Two other witnesses that were closer to the scene said the killers wore light green coats.

Scientific testimony was entered on an appeal by a renowned scientist that given the best of circumstances:. Optimal lighting conditions a the distance of the observations, the witness had a less than 5% chance of making an identification at 59 feet, The witness was no closer than 180 feet for one observation and no less than 240 ‘ from the other observations. And these ‘observations’ were made 20 and 25+ minutes before sunrise. And trust me that the scientist was most generous when he said 5%.

They stand convicted of this crime and the facts are ignored by the courts. Maybe that will change soon because people are getting involved in wrongful convictions.

I was a detective during that time and had an office on the same floor as Sex Crimes. My recollection was that when the arrest was made that there were not too many detectives that believed your father committed those crimes.

What you may not know is that Det.Fogarty was a very sick young man due to his alcohol problem. When he was on his death bed he asked for Lt.Carpenter to come see him. He asked Carpenter to set your father’s case right. Fogarty didn’t want to go to his grave knowing he was part of an investigation that sent an innocent man to jail. On his death bed, no less. Fogarty was a decent man and a decent detective. I believe he never believed your father was guilty. Things happen, identifications, political pressure and the district attorney responded to it.

Vito Navarra had the case and went on vacation. Fogarty was assigned to keep it going until Navarra came back. I believe Navarra, a more seasoned and respected detective would have never allowed this to pass if he had his way. If Vito Navarra said your dad didn’t do it and Perez did, then that is good enough for me. The district attorney would have no choice but to hear Navarra out.

Yesterday, I went to The LI Press ( I live nearby) and told the reporter exactly what I am telling you in this message, and more.

I feel you frustration. I feel your pain. No man and his family should be put through this, not in America.