Locked In with Ian Bick - NYPD Corruption Exposed: How Detectives Framed Me for Robbery and Sent Me to Rikers Island | Victor Abraham

Episode Date: November 3, 2024

Victor Abraham shares his powerful story of being wrongfully accused and framed for robbery by NYPD detectives, leading to his time at Rikers Island. In this episode, Victor discusses the events that led to his arrest, the challenges he faced while fighting the charges, and his journey to clear his name. After winning at trial, Victor now has a lawsuit pending against the NYPD, seeking justice for the corruption that turned his life upside down #NYPDCorruption #WrongfulConviction #JusticeSystem #RikersIsland #FramedForCrime #PoliceAccountability #TrialVictory #truecrimestories Buy Merch: https://www.ianbick.com/shop Use code lockedin at checkout to get 20% off your order Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ Connect with Victor Abraham: https://www.instagram.com/victorabraham1451/profilecard/?igsh=MjRoaGxsaHo2Mjdz https://gofund.me/bc86f333 Presented by Tyson 2.0 & Wooooo Energy: https://tyson20.com/ https://woooooenergy.com/ Timestamps: 00:00:00 Victor Abraham's Fight for Justice 00:05:06 Launch of Locked In Merch Line 00:09:26 Reflecting on Life Challenges 00:13:55 Arrest and Lineup Identification 00:18:26 Overcoming Wrongful Charges and Homelessness 00:22:44 Misuse of Police Photo Lineups 00:26:54 Framed by Law Enforcement: A Personal Account 00:31:12 Legal System Injustices and Wrongful Convictions 00:35:33 Alleged Wrongful Arrest and Legal Battles 00:40:13 Surviving a Wrongful Accusation 00:44:50 Encounter in the Mental Observation Unit 00:49:24 Defending Personal Rights and Weapon Ownership 00:53:50 Legal Implications of Ghost Guns 00:58:28 Fighting for Justice and Civil Rights 01:02:56 The Impact of Police Misconduct 01:07:29 Struggles with Legal Battles and Injustice 01:11:57 Podcast Introduction Powered by: Just Media House : https://www.justmediahouse.com/ Creative direction, design, assets, support by FWRD: https://www.fwrd.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Thanks for coming out today. Thank you for having me. I'm glad you got to meet Norman out there, who happened to be here. It's actually funny, you were incarcerated at Rikers, and he used to be the prison boss. Yeah, well, you know what's funny about that at the time I didn't even know that because at the time, that was my first time ever being on Rikers Island. So I, you know, the breakdown is only now that I've came home and started doing research and seeing all these different, you know, people talk about these situations.

that's like on my King McCquorris, Norman, and on your platform too as well. I've seen them. Yeah, that's awesome. And you said you had something you wanted to share or read to the audience today, too, right? Yeah, this is a little note I prepared so that everybody could just get a breakdown of who I am and, you know, really understand. But this is what I said. Hi, everyone.

My name is Victor Abram. I'm here today to share my story of being wrongfully arrest. incarcerated and the fight for justice that I've been battling ever since. I was only 19 years old when my life was turned upside down, and now almost eight years later, I'm still dealing with the consequences of a system that not only failed me, but also continues to fail many others. Before all of this, I was working hard to fulfill my dream of joining the Air Force

and becoming a pilot. But in 2016, that dream was taken from me when I was falsely accused and arrested for a crime I didn't commit. The arrest came after a series of misidentifications and coerced statements orchestrated by Detective Stephen Lutz, Jennifer Hamilton, and Steven Zillinsky. I spent over a year on Rikers Island and during solitary confinement, abuse, and the emotional tour of being accused of something I had no pardon. The prosecutor Michael Tenoosa is now a New York State Assemblyman tried to give me 25 years in prison and even after I was acquitted, the district attorney Michael McMohan refused to drop the charges

or offer an apology for what his office have put me through. Detectives use unduly suggestive identification procedures showing the victims my picture multiple times until they picked me out. Evidence that could have proved my innocent was withheld. They even let one of the detectives Stephen Lutz retired with full pension after all the harm he had caused. I'm fined this civil lawsuit against them because what they did to me is a clear case of misconduct and they need to be held accountable. The time I spent in jail changed my life forever.

I was 19 years old with no prior convictions and yet I was locked away like a criminal. I was being by correction officers and assaults a while in custody. I lost my freedom, my dignity, and my mental health has never fully recovered. Today, I'm living in a homeless shelter with my two young kids trying to provide for them while dealing with the trauma I went through. I can't get those years back in the dreams I had to fly on the plane or gone forever. The system took that from me, but I refused to let it break me. I represent myself in a civil case against the city of New York, and it hasn't been easy.

The officers involved in my case, Stephen Lutz, Jennifer Hamilton, and Steven Zelensky were never charged for their actions. I've been met with delays, excuses, and the lack of transparency at every step of the process, but I'm not giving up. This fight isn't just for me. It's for everyone who's been wrongfully accused, mistreated, and denied their basic rights by the criminal justice system. Despite everything I'm still standing, I'm determined to keep fighting, not just for my own justice, but to shed light on the failures of our justice system. There are countless others like me who are still beyond balls who have been forgotten or ignored. My story is one of many, but I hope I can inspire others to keep fighting to speak up and to demand change. Thank you.

Wow, well, that's probably the first time I've had someone do the whole intro. for me, you know? No, no, that's great, man. I'm extremely sorry that you went through what you did, and I'm glad you have the opportunity today to share your story. Thank you. I think platforms like this and talking about it go a long way with kind of exposing this type of injustice that goes on in the world that a lot of people don't know about. And anyone can get railroaded by the system. And once they put you in, there's no one to fight for you unless you find a lawyer, that believes in you, but even then it's just you and the lawyer versus... Versus a whole, you know, city with unlimited resources,

and they're threatening you with 25 years, and, you know, you just got to stand tall and, I mean, believe in yourself. Like, I mean... Absolutely. So did you grow up in New York? Hey, everyone, exciting news for all the locked-in fans. Our brand-new merch line is officially live just in time for the holiday season. Now you can rep the show with exclusive gear made just for your.

you. We've got everything from comfy teas and hoodies to hats, beanies, and more, all inspired by the stories, the guests, and the incredible community that makes locked in what it is. And to celebrate, we're offering 20% off your first order. Just use code locked in at checkout. Head over to ianbick.com, grab your favorites, and don't forget to tag us in your new gear. We'd love to see it. Thank you all so much for supporting the show, and let's get you locked in with some fresh merch. Yeah, I could say that. Like, my family migrated here from Africa in 2006. So, like, I've been for a little while.

I grew up. We originally touched down on Staten Island. And so that's why I spent most of my years. And I had to move because I just couldn't stand being around there anymore. Like, everybody knew me, knew my story, knew my situation. Some people, you know, judge me. Some people believed I did it. Some people didn't.

I mean, it just wasn't a good environment. How old were you when you moved to Staten Island? I would say maybe 2006. I'm 27 now. It's probably like 11, 10 maybe, if I'm not mistaken. Was it hard coming from Africa? Yeah, it was extremely difficult. At the time, I had a deeper accent. You know, I was teased for it. People chased me from school, call me an African booty scratcher and things like that. You know, so I had to overcome all those things. And now the same people see me today, I mean, they can't even, they forgot, you know, they used to call me those names and things like that.

So, you know, it was tough growing up in Park Hill. That's where I grew up, like, the Wu-Tang and things like that. That's where they're from. What do you think was the hardest cultural change for you when you got here? Just the fact that I didn't even know what was real and what was fake, like as far as clothing was, because, you know, Africa, when you come from Africa, people ain't really looking for things like that. So one day I made a mistake of walking in the school with fake Jordans on. And everybody was like everybody flamed me that day. Like if African booty scratcher wasn't enough, fake Jordans, that just ruined my whole high school, middle school, not I'm right?

Because Staten Island is a small place. So everybody goes through the same school. So people remember that story like, oh, that's fake. You came, not what I'm not on me? So it was just one of the biggest change for me. What was your parents doing for work when they got here? My mom, well, I actually came with my mom and my younger brother at the time, and she was doing home health aid, like taking care of, like, senior citizens and things like that. So she was getting paid, I think, like $5 an hour, I think, at the time.

Wow, that's it. Yeah, so she had to work her way. I think by the time she retired, she was probably making $10, $12 an hour. So you guys were struggling financially. Yeah, we were just going through a tough times. That's why when this happened to me, it was really difficult, like, because I didn't have. The first arrest was like 10,000, and we couldn't even afford that. And mind you, at the time, I even had a criminal record, nothing.

So that's how come I ended up on Rikers for, like, I believe it was two and a half weeks for that first force arrest. And this all related to that main arrest in general? Yeah. Okay. Because it was like two separate arrests. Two separate arrests. So you hadn't gotten into any trouble when you first got to middle school, high school, nothing. Yeah, the most I would say is probably like I had an ex-girlfriend, you know, like stuff like that.

You know, it was hard. We broke up and stuff like that. So she had called the cops on me, but I was young. So it wasn't nothing significant. I didn't get probation, went in jail or anything like that. So that was basically it. So this was like the biggest, oh, sorry about that. This was like the biggest thing in my life, like, at that time.

How would you describe yourself at that time? time period. What kind of kid do you think you were? At that time, I was, don't get me wrong, I wasn't perfect. Like, I was going through things, you know, just trying to figure it out. Like 19 years old, just got my own place, my own apartment, you know, trying to really figure things out, what I'm going to do with my life. And, you know, that's just basically what was going on. You know, I had some friends and things like that.

But it was tough, you know, life is tough already in general. So now if something comes along and makes it even more tougher, you just got to navigate your way through it. So that's what I've been doing. Did you end up graduating high school? Not yet. Okay.

You never got to grader. Yeah, I was when this happened to me, I was actually in the GED program. And right before I got locked up, I went to go take the GED test, and I passed everything but filled the math by two points. So I was studying now to retake the math. I already went and took my ISVAP for the Air Force.

They said I was good. I just need to work on my math and get the GED to them. So now I was practicing for all of that, getting ready to retake my math, you know. So that's what I was focused on at the time. And then this whole thing just came along and embarrassed me because that's really what it is. It has been and felt like an embarrassment. So let's get into it. Bring us to that day.

You know, from the time you wake up, just walk us through the whole day. Yeah, it was a normal day. I think it was on a Sunday. So me and my friends were just hanging out the whole. day in and out the apartment, you know, went to the beach and got with some friends, I mean, my buddy, he had a girlfriend with him, and we was just all just chilling. And we, it was like around 7.30 and I parked, like, because I live in the, like, the projects. So one of the projects, the back of the building is like a parking lot.

But I got to walk across the street to my building. That's the front. So, excuse me. I went upstairs, you know, grab some butt or whatever, came downstairs. And by the time I was getting ready to cross the street to walk back to my car, I see the cops rushing, like, the parking lot. So usually, they usually do that because people are back there, you know, socializing and having barbecues or things.

So they always just go back there for some reason. So I thought that was what was going on. Until I walked back there, I just see a bunch of cops surround my vehicle. They're like, oh, is this your car? I'm like, no. There's a rental. My mom had rented it for me. me at the time.

And they was like, oh, well, what's your name? And I'm like, Victor Abram. Because at the time, I didn't even really understand my rights either. I hadn't really been in crazy trouble where they had to read me, Miranda, and all those things like that. So they was like, oh, what's your name? I'm like, Victor Abram. They're like, oh, well, we have an eye card for your arrest.

And this is my arresting officer now. His name is Stephen Lutz. We have an eye call for your arrest. We just want you to come down to the station. to ask you a few questions or whatever the case might be. Not me, you're going to be out of it. I didn't even know what the eye call was. So I'm like, all right, bet, because I see on the news,

if you resist these people, you know, things could go left. So I just put my hand behind my back, got in the car, listened to what they said, and they took me to the precinct. When I got to the precinct now, this is October 17th, 2016. I'm in the precinct, and he's asking me about a bunch of robberies and stuff like that.

he showed me a video of what at the time I thought was my mother's car. So he showed me the video. I'm like, yeah, it looks like my mother's car, whatever. And he's like, well, during the time this car is going through, there's a person stolen credit card being used. I'm like, well, I don't know anything about that. And in fact, multiple people come in the end of my house, somebody probably took my keys and went to McDonald's while my knowledge.

So he, like, that he didn't want to take that. Like, he just made up his own mile. you've been identified in a photo array. A photo array is basically like six pictures, and one of the pictures will be you, and then it's five fillers. So he put my picture in a photo array, and he was like, oh, basically a victim picked you out.

He said, you and some other guy robbed them, and doing the commission of that robbery, you displayed a gun. I'm like, that's not even my energy. That's not even what I do. Like, who is this person? So after that, I was then placed in another lineup. I asked for my lawyer, but then the 17th, mind you there, arrested me like 8.30,

so I was in a precinct to the 18th. So when the 18th came around now, they put me in a lineup, even though I already asked for a lawyer. You're not even supposed to do that. I asked for a lawyer. They put me in a lineup. Boom, they said, oh, you've been picked again in the line of. Mind you, is the same person who already saw me in a photo array.

So my image. was already fresh in his mind. So he wasn't going to pick nobody else. If he seen me in the lineup, you know, oh, I already seen him. That's the guy I already picked. So that was the case. Boom, he picked me out the lineup.

I ended up going in front of the judge. I had no priors and things like that. So the judge was like, you know, I haven't seen Victor in my court. I was a lot. I'm going to say it's bill for $10,000. But at the time, like I said, I couldn't even afford that.

So I went to Rikers Island until about the 27th of October, 2016. I bailed out. My mom bailed me out. I couldn't, at the time, I didn't even know how to get back from Rikers. And that's in Queens. I didn't even know how to get back. There was somebody who was headed on bail at the same time. And I was like, hey, bro, can you help me, now, me? I haven't been here before. I don't even know how to get back to Stad Island. And I put him on the phone with my mom. Like, don't worry, Ms. Abraham. I'm going, you know, bring him back to Stano for you, make sure you get home safe. So that's what ended up happening that God brought me the way to stand island left in the morning.

Like at 7.30, 8 o'clock, I hear loud knocks on my door. Boom, boom, boom, boom, Warren Squad, Warren Squad. I'm like, what is this? You know, I just came on for Rikers Island. I'm like, why are you guys in my door? They're like, oh, we have a warrant and stuff like that. I'm like, well, you know, slide the warrant underneath my door. And if it's for me, I'm going to open the door.

Boom, that wasn't good enough for them. They took off, went downstairs. you know, 48 the super, like gases, head up or whatever. I don't know what they told him, but he came back upstairs with them and he let them in my apartment without even producing a warrant for me. So they came to my apartment, held me at gunpoint, handcuffed me, searched my whole apartment, looking for God knows what. And it so happened, my mom was working at home Melfade that night when I called her.

So she was like, oh, I'm going to come in the morning and stuff to, see you after she got her work. So while they was doing that, my mother ended up coming through the door. She's like, what are y'all doing? I just bail my son out. Boom, boom, boom. They show her the warrant. It wasn't even for me. It wasn't even for nobody that lived there. So they ended up taking off later that night. I ended up having what I now know as a manic episode because during my incarceration from the 17th to the 27th, they was giving me like medications and things like that to help with my close to phobia and things I was dealing with while I was in there. So they couldn't, I guess when I came home, I didn't have the medication,

and I ended up relapsing and things like that or whatever the case might be. And I ended up rushing, getting rushed to the psych unit. Now, when I got there, like 10 people surrounding me, like, oh, you know, you're out of control and things like that. And once I've seen that, calmed down, and they still injected me with some type of drug I hadn't even took before. So I was like messed up for like three days in the psych unit. And then, you know, like three days later, this is October 31st now.

They're like, oh, we feel you're a good candidate for outpatient release and stuff like that. We're going to set it up for your mom. We don't want you going home and getting hit by a car by yourself and things like that. Boom. I don't even make it out the psych unit to go downstairs because it's like a three-story hospital. The site unit is on the third floor. So once I walk out the site unit, NYPD is there to arrest me again.

Oh, the same night you bailed out, you rob somebody else again. I'm like, what? So at that point, you know, I'm like, this is just messed up now. They got the wrong guy. They're trying to frame me and stuff like that. While I was so out of my mind still from the psych medications, I didn't even speak. I went in front of the court. They just rushed me to write his aisle.

Oh, you know, the honor. He did this. You just gave him bail. You know, try to make me look like a predicate. So she remained. me and stuff like that. I think she reminded me and then gave me a bail for some crazy number

I couldn't even afford at the time. So I ended up on Rikers back for an additional 12 months. That's where you get the year from the year, the 385 days. So that was able to finally bailed out September 2017. And basically I lost my apartment at that time because why I was, my apartment was like low

income for people who's in school and stuff. And being that I was locked up, I couldn't show them that I was in school and so the rent went up to like 1,500. So I couldn't afford that where I was being locked up. So they ended up taking my apartment. And when I came home on bail, the second time, I literally had to fight my case from the street. Like literally, I was homeless going to court, not knowing if I was spent the rest of my life

in prison. So that was my life until November 2018 when I got acquitted of all charges. And it took the jury like 15 minutes to acquit. me and these officers and they're lying and, you know, oh, is this a miracle that I'm even here right now because if that jury, you know, like they try their best

and they failed miserably. Like, you know, if it wasn't for that jury, I wouldn't even been here right now. What was the evidence they had you the second charge? I know the first one was a credit card. No, that was, and that's the funny thing because even the God they arrested me,

that wasn't his credit card. So even when they, when they showed that person who credit card it was, they showed that person my picture too, and the person said, oh, well, that wasn't a guy that robbed me. So basically, that diminished their probable cause on that. It would have made more sense if it was the victim that was accusing me, you know, that was their credit card being used.

So that would have made sense, but that wasn't even their credit card. And mind you, the first victim, he had gotten robbed October 9th, 2016. October 13th, he's riding the, like, the city bus, and he's like, oh, you know, he sees another African-American kid on the bus. He's like, oh, this is the guy that robbed me here. And he takes a picture and send it to the detective, Stephen Lutz, my arresting officer. And he looks at the picture and looks in the system. Like, you know, I had an old picture of there with the incident with my girlfriend and stuff like that.

So they looked at that picture, and he looked at the bus picture, and he automatically came to the conclusion that it was me on the bus. and he added my picture to the photo array to the first photo array the victim viewed on the 16th of October. But now the second arrest, what was their so-called evidence? Yeah, so the second arrest now,

they showed up the night the kid got robbed, he was robbed by three people. They showed up at the scene and showed the kid a single picture of me automatically. No other, matter of fact, he had other pictures with him, but he only decided to show my picture. Now, when he showed my picture,

the kid said, oh, it looks like him, you know, but he didn't 100% confirm it was me. So you know, that's like exculpatory information too. You show a single picture of me and this guy cannot 100% say it's me. You somebody's a document that somewhere

so other people can see that. But he just kept that to himself. And then two days later, another officer picks him up and conducts a photo manager. A photo manager is like a computer. They enter basic description of the suspect that the person

and give, and then thousands of picture popularly. So as he's going through those pictures, he's seen two pictures in position 10 and 11. That's my picture. Ready or not, summer is coming, and Wayfair's Memorial Day clearance is on now. Right now through May

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Now, in their law and what I've come to know, that's unduly. suggesting my identification. That's given the person a false sense of confidence, like, oh, this must be the guy that robbed me. And after he's seen my picture twice, and the photo manager, that's when he's like, oh, now I'm 100% sure. That's the guy that robbed me.

And all of these, that was the evidence used to keep me in prison all that time. The fact that he's seen my picture twice and messed apart about it, when they went to the grand jury that gained my indictment, they didn't mention none of these things. They kept it all to themselves.

They didn't mention the body. bus picture. They mentioned the fact that my picture showed up twice. They didn't mention none of it. They kept it. Oh, everything was normal. Everything was casual until we got to the beginning of my trial. That's when I started getting information. But would you have been even in that system if you never got arrested the first time? Like, do they have just random civilians who have never been arrested before in that system? Yeah, I believe so because they said, oh, they get the pictures from DMVs and everythings and you don't even have to be convicted of a crime. You just get arrested and your picture. And you're is automatically there.

But the big issue was that was intentionally done. The fact that you show a single picture of me and you're like, oh, we believe this is a suspect that robbed you, you know. He's a 16-year-old kid, mind you at the time. So he's likely to be, oh, you know, the cops want to lie on this person and things like that. So he just went along with their story of what it was feeding. Now, it's the same cop that arrested you the first time? No, this was, it was actually two officers involved in the second situation

The first officer from the one that showed my single picture, his name is Steven Zelensky. And he's like a lieutenant now. So at the time he was a sergeant, he was in control of other officers. In fact, he even kicked other officers out the room to show this kid my single picture. Because I guess he knew he wasn't doing the right thing. And probably if those other officers was there, they would have called him out about it. Oh, that's not a part of police procedure and things like that.

So I believe that's why those other officers was told. get out the room before he did that. And so when he didn't get the answer he wanted, of course, he completely ignored it. He just didn't document that he even showed a single picture of Victor Abram already. Now, the second arresting officers, do you think they talked to the first one? And the first one was like, hey, I got a guy that's, you know, I got for robbery or stolen property. Maybe he could be your guy.

I believe that's what happened. I believe they was talking to each other. And, you know, at the time, it was a bunch of other robberies going. on. So you had like people like the mayor, de Blasio Robert Boyce, the chief of detectives at the time on the news announcing my arrest

for the first robbery. So it was like a big pattern. It was on the news. They wanted to close cases and things like that. Russian fumbling evidence, not me, but I feel like they was just completely indifferent to my rights because you suggested me to this

person. Like, it's like them taking you a picture of and then putting them in a photo array and is surrounded by black people, you're going to stand out because he's like, oh, this, you know what I mean? This is the only,

and I'm light skin. So they put, what they did was surround me by darker faces and told the person, oh, you know, it might look different today. You know,

it might not be the same as he looked at day on the bus and stuff like that. So these are the things that led to my identification. These are things, yeah. So are you forced to do the lineup? I would say so

because I didn't see. see how I could say no to that, you know, at the time. I just felt like, you know, if I would have said no, they would have just been on me. They would have still forced me to do it. And it would have looked like I'm not cooperating and that would have probably been more stuff for them to use against me.

I went in there thinking I wasn't even going to get picked. Even when I walked in there, there was kids from my neighborhood who told me, they were surprised to see me because they know that's not my energy. They're like, oh, Vic, what are you doing it? And I'm like, I don't even know why they got me here right now. I'm like, what are y'all doing it?

They're like, oh, they paid us $20 to come sand a lineup. Yeah. So I'm like, even though I was picked, it's like either one of them could have got picked, you know, like, oh, I believe he did it. So it's like, y'all put yourself in jeopardy for $20. For real, I'm here against my will. When y'all are you signing up to sit in lineups where you could still be picked? Don't, like, you don't think because they pay you $20 and somebody points you out, they're going to arrest you. So why would you even risk your life like that for $20?

And you had never seen either victim ever in your life. And the first time I've seen them was after I already spent a year and I have, I mean, 385 days incarcerated. That was the first time I seen my accusers. I'm like, I've never seen these people a day in my life because when you do the, when they do the photo array, you're not there. When they do the line up, you don't see the person on the other side of the glass. So the whole time they're like, oh, you've been picked? I'm like, was I even picked? Because I sat down and then, oh, it's over.

or you've been selected. I'm like, what is this? So that whole thing, it was just a, it was just a setup. Like, for real, it was a setup. And the fact that, you know, during my trial, you know how they do, like,

suppression hearings and stuff like that, you even had the prosecutor, you know, conceding that what these officers did was wrong. It was illegal. And they committed perjury on top of that. And today, today, you can't find any criminal charges that was brought against them.

I'm like, Y'all was getting ready to give me 25 years for this thing. I had nothing to do it, but here's clear and convincing evidence that these officers framed me, and none of them was charged. Do you think that the victims, I know you didn't ever see them before the trial,

but do you think they made have ran into you? Were you guys in the same neighborhood? No. Maybe they saw you at the supermarket or anything? No, it was just the fact that they kept being introduced to the same person over and over and over and over again. that was the only reason why they even felt confident to say oh yeah this the guy that you know rob me

and a few weeks ago one of the victims from the first arrest came forward and was like you know I thought you hated me this whole time that's why I didn't even try to reach out to you but I'm glad you was able to track me down because ever since I started handling my case you know I felt like I needed to reach out to these people try to find them because they the only ones

them and God is the only people that can clear my name. So finally I was able to reach out to one of his friends or whatever and he got in touch for me, got me on the phone with the first victim and he was like, you know, I thought you hated me this whole time. I was like, nah, bro, I've been praying for your well-being. I've been hoping nothing to happen to because you're the only one, like I said, could clear my name. So he was like, yeah, it's just so funny. Not me. I was questioning them the whole time about this and it even came to the point where they threatened me with a year imprisonment if I didn't because. continue to lie on you. This is what the victim was telling me. And this is eight years later.

I'm like, you know, I could have, if I would have been convicted, you tell him it would have taken him eight years to come forward, you know, but I don't even, I don't blame him, you know. Like, it's just, it's just funny how these things work, how these things turn out. You know, it's like 15 minutes for them to say not guilty, but it's like, they just ruin my life for no reason. Like, I can't sleep at night. I've had a good night sleep since 2016. Like, it's just been horrendous. How'd your mom react to your arrest and then ultimately getting your bond revoked? Yeah, she was confused, you know?

She's not from this country. She don't know the law and stuff like that. She was there for me every court day. She went through the searches of Rikers Island to come see me and things like that. You know, all those degrading things. But, you know, she didn't know what was really going on. She was scared. She kept, you know, oh, take this plea, you know.

These people can give you life in jail. Take this plea. when they was offering me seven years, 15 years, take this plea. You only one person, you know, you can't beat the system. You can't beat the system. And they was just, you know, using that against me. Oh, you know, every time my mom will come to course,

she would be frustrated. And then they would be in front of the judge telling lies about me and stuff like that. So even came a point in time to judge kick my mom out the courtroom. Like, it was just atrocious the type of treatment we received. Like, and even today we get none of the bail money back. They said, oh, it's for fees. It's for expenses. I'm like, this is crazy.

This is the worst experience in my life. What were the final charges all together that you were facing? It was Rob 1 for the first one. It was like 16 counts originally, but by the time we got the trial, they had to, you know, lowered things a little bit, only put the top charges. So it was like Rob 1 for the first one. And then the second one, it was a 10th of robbery.

and the second degree and aided with others or whatever the case might be. But all of those, especially the Rob one, I was facing 25 and the attempt that I don't know how much. But that's what I'm saying. The judge in my case, even though he suppressed the photo identification and stuff, it was a matter of law for him to dismiss that case

because what he suppressed was what they used for probable cause. That's what they went to the grand jury with and said this is our evidence we use and to keep victim in. And the fact that he said that was illegally done, he should have dismissed the case. But this is the type of games they play with people lives. They pushed to the trial just to see if the jury would convict me just so they can say, oh, yeah, you know, he still got convicted. And he wasn't going to give me probation.

He allowed the case to go to trial. If I would have found me guilty, he would have given me the maximum. Because it's like, how do you let the case to go forward after you already suppress? They are these. You think now they're going to come in court and say, oh, yeah, we made a mistake, especially if they're being thrown with a year imprisonment. So it was just, it was a setup. And today, today, none of these people have come forward and said, you know, Vic, you know, we wronged you.

They on TV acting like, oh, we care about people rights. We championing people rights. The prosecutor in my case, he's now with New York State Assemblyman. His name is Michael Tenooses. He's like, oh, I'm cared about law and order and all these. things, but I'm like, how about my case? When you was trying to give me 25 years and you didn't even prosecute the officers

after the fact. So I can you say you law and order. So it's just hypocrisy at the highest level. Did they ever offer you a plea deal at all? That's what I'm saying. Their pleas begin with 25. Oh, they offered the 25 right off the bat. 25, 15,

7. By the time I seen see them dropping like that, I was, I already knew they ain't do this. But I had to go through the process. before I can even, because people say they're innocent all the time, you know, but in my case, there was actually evidence supporting what I was saying, and they withheld it from my defense. When you know you're innocent and they're throwing out numbers,

like 25 years if you lose trial, crazy numbers. Does it ever make you think maybe I should just take a plea deal, you know, just to not let it get that bad? If there's an off chance, like if I already got set up this much by the system, can they set me up at trial? Yeah. It was definitely scary, but me, I'm a God-faring person, and I just felt like God had my back through that whole situation, you know,

like, they were throwing me with revoking my citizenship because I'm not a natural-born citizen. So they're like, oh, you know, if you blow trial, we're going to still make you do the time. And even if you're released, we're going to deport you after the fact. You know, they were saying scary things. That's why my mom was like, oh, take this, please. But it's like, what type of life would I have had after that?

that. I'm innocent now. I'm proved my innocent now and I'm still messed up. So now imagine if I would have a plea deal for robbery in the first degree, what type of job I'll be doing? Right now, I'm innocent. I prove my innocent. I can't even apply to deliver Uber food

without this stuff coming up about me. What was the main reason why that judge the second time didn't give you bail? Because they weren't violent crimes. They were just robbery. No, it was considered them. They looked at it as violent crimes because it was like strong arm it was like a group of assault gang things people was hurt

it was a pattern going on so they was trying to they like this is stand island things like this don't happen you know you know they try to it's like a utopia for the for these bad people so they go there they're like oh we can't have this going on here we the we supposed to be the top gang or whatever the case might be it was it wasn't just me they was targeting people in my neighborhood there was um other kids from my neighborhood that was caught up in the same pattern, but they ended up getting released and things like that. But my case, they just didn't want to handle that embarrassment again. So they was like, oh, we rather just go to trial and control the media and things like that and give out misinformation because that's what they do. It took the article I sent you.

It took me seven years for them to even write that article that, oh, you know, the cops have something to do with this. He spent time in jail because the first article is like, oh, it was just a mistaken identity and no cops did nothing wrong and he spent no time in jail no evidence was destroyed and things like that every read the from the first article they made about me to the last article you would see like oh my god this was like a cover-up of all cover-ups interesting yeah um but that the victims in the second case yeah they didn't tell the cops that they were attacked by multiple people they did so then why aren't the why are the cops just arrest one person.

That's what I'm saying. They was focused on me due to the fact that they thought I had something to do with this pattern of robberies. So do they ask you then where are the other people? Yeah, they was asking me and stuff, but I'm like, I don't, this is not my energy to begin with. So I don't even understand what you're talking about right now. They're like, oh, well, even the McDonald's video, they're like, oh, well, we know

it wasn't you on a video, but you know, you know, you can tell us and stuff like. I'm like, I don't know. I don't know. but I said, you know, different people go in my house and take my key. I can't. I don't want to lie with somebody. So they was like, kept pressure on me, kept pressure on. I'm like, look, let me just get a lawyer and stuff like that.

And they even want to hear that. They violated that. Even the funny thing I just discovered, I'd never waive my rights to the grand jury, right? I'd never waive my rights. In New York, you have a right to appear to the grand jury, especially if you didn't waive it. It writes. They went ahead and locked me up, went to the grand jury,

even though my lawyer never waived my rights. They indicted me without even being at the grand jury. Now, if I was at the grand jury, I could have rebuttal some of these things they were saying about me. But because they went ahead and did it without me, I didn't even have that opportunity. So my lawyer had challenged the indictment to begin with, and the judge completely ignored, you know, her arguments.

didn't even look at the motion until, I believe it was June of 2017. That's when he ruled it. And he said, oh, no, they did nothing wrong. You know, this motion is, you know, I'm not going to approve this and stuff like that. But it was right there. At the beginning, I could have spent zero time in jail. And they just completely ignored it. So to this day, have they arrested anyone for those other cases?

No. They gave up on them after the acquittal. After the acquittal, they just gave up. And I'm like, they did this wrong. they took advantage, you know, of three people in this situation because the first victim, you know, he didn't get his justice. The second victim didn't get his justice. And then on top of that, you ruined my life.

Like, and you never went to find actually people that did this girl. Never. So now you get to Rikers after your bail gets revoked. Yeah. You know, you're from another country. What are your thoughts about the American prison system going in and versus what they actually, you know, came to be. Yeah, it was, it was crazy, you know?

Like, when I seen that, there was, like, people were telling me, you know, this is how it is. Like, I was in, I remember being in intake for, like, four days. Like, no sun, no shower, just, you know, and filth. Like, and, you know, it was a big shock because I'm a person who, you know, everybody got their ethnic food. Like, I'm African. I'm, I eat. majority my country food, especially when I'm sick and stuff like that, I eat, it's called foo-foo and soup. That's like an African dish. So when I was in there, I was deprived of little

things like that. Just imagine you craving a burger or something right now and you can't get it. You just like, damn, like, you know, but it was deep in that because it's like I couldn't eat that food. It was messing up my system. I had to force myself to eat just to survive soup. I can't even look at soup right now, to be honest. I ate that, sardines, and then script searches every time I went and came back from court. Of course, every time they found nothing, and then it came a point where they even put me in solitary for like four months. They were like, oh, for your protection. Because I was just a target, you know.

I'd never been in there. I was getting, you know, jump by inmates getting assorted by, you know, CEOs, correctional officers. So they was like, we don't even know where to put them. We're just going to put them in solitary and just leave them. them there. And that's how I spent the last four months in the tombs in solitary. Why were inmates jumping you? Because like I said, I was an easy target. And I wasn't, they would put me

in program houses where, you know, I wouldn't conform to join in a gang. So, you know, people would just target me. Like, I was in a house with the Hispanics and the African-Americans, MacBolars, and the Batria gang. So they was like, you know, I was just a target. I wouldn't join their gang. I wouldn't be a part of that. So, you know, I remember this one incident on my birthday. You know, they came in myself while I was sleeping. Jump me took all my belongings. That was how I spent my 20th birthday

getting junk for all my belongings that I beat up. And it was just a significant experience. And then four days later, the freaking district attorney subpoenas me off of Rikers Island to put me in the lineup. Like seven months after the crime, you now want to put me in another lineup after this guy already picked me out three other times. Like, who else is he going to pick? He literally came to the

lineup, looked at in the window for one second and said, oh, Victor, right there. He's the one who did it. I'm like, you're really going to believe that? Somebody who has no robbery, convictions, no violent, nothing on the thing, and you're just going to believe this 60-year-old kid. But you knew the whole time, I didn't

do it. You knew. There's No way. Why were correctional officers attacking you in prison? Because I just wasn't with it, you know? Like, I wasn't with the old sit down and take the abuse. Like, because, you know, you would be in need and people would just walk by you and leave you unattended. And like I said, one incident, I was in there for four days. No son, no talking to my family.

They're giving me food I can't eat. And people just walking by me so they're mad. And I started to drop a lot of weight. So it came to the point where I could fit through the bars on Rikers Island. So that's what I kept doing. And they got frustrated. Some of them were taking out their phone recording me. Like, how is he doing this?

Like, you know, but I was so diminished. Like, I felt like I was about to faint off the earth. So I just wanted to get out of there. I wanted to leave. I'm like, this is not for me. Now, was a non-convicted inmate like yourself? You haven't been convicted yet. Were you treated any better than convicted inmates?

No, I feel like, that's what I'm saying. I feel like I was guilty from the moment, you know, they put those cuffs on me that night. I feel like, you know, it was already in their mind like, oh, this is our scapegoat. We're going to target him. You don't really know the laws. He's from Africa and things like that. You know, it was a confusing situation because even when I went to Loy Laud Berry, you know, I couldn't, I would show them the paperwork and they couldn't tell me nothing. I didn't know what was going on.

I went with him in feeling the judge. They say, they talk it so fast, and by the time I blink my arm on the bus going back to Rikers Island. So it was just that continuous back and forth, back and forth, humiliate script searches, getting maced in the odd, didn't know, like, when I was going on. And I was like, this can't be my life. Like, you know, it came to the point where I attempted suicide

and things like that, and I regret it now. But it's like for me to have been, for me to have wanted to take my own life, it must have been something I just couldn't do. Like, you know, it was just crazy. What was the worst thing that happened to you inside Rikers? The worst thing that happened was one night they came and grabbed me and took me to the decompt room and like they was choking me and it was these correctional offices.

There was choking me and, you know, squeezing my man parts and things like. that and then after the abuse they took me to a Crip House they was like oh you know he's M.O and stuff like that don't pay him no mind he don't know what he's talking by the spring ankle and everything the day was like oh you know well we don't really rock with M.O. people and stuff like that but you can say here until you heal up and things like that I'm like I'm just like y'all how y'all gonna take their word over mom like I'm getting abused I'm not even supposed to be here and I hear everybody say that just knowing two days you gotta leave and stuff like that.

I'm like, I ain't one like, I'm like, just looking back on that time, man, it's just a miracle. I survived that, bro, for real. It's just a miracle because you see people going there, you know, they get their face cut. You know, some of them come home, can't even speak,

drooling from the mouth, messed up, and I'm just happy I'm able to somewhat articulate what I went through and people, hopefully people were able to understand and get it. What was the worst thing you saw in there? Like, the worst thing I saw was just people getting cut, people giving up, not eating. Like, I remember this one kid that was across from me in the mental observation unit, he hadn't eaten for months. When they went to get in there, they literally holed them down.

You could see them taking out the trays of food, I was thing. And they just took him out. And he was just like bones, like, like, you know, the Holocaust, like that. Like, that's how he was looking in there. And it was just, that just woke me up, like, you know. And I was like, no, I got to be strong for the both of us. I got to make it out so I could be able to talk about his name is G-baby. That's what everybody called him in a unit.

So, you know, I'm like, I got to make it out. I got to, because I don't even know if he's in alive right now. That's how when I saw him, he was, that was one of the worst things that I remember seeing where I was there. How did you feel when you finally got bail again? And you were able to get out. I was still terrified because it's like, you know, it wasn't over. You know, I started to go back to court under threat of arrest. If I missed a court date that was going to revoke my bail,

and on top of that, I didn't know how the outcome was going to be. Even though I knew I was innocent, I didn't know what the jury might say. You know, you see on the news, people do 30, 40 years, 50 years, and then all of a sudden they're innocent. So I didn't know if that was, you know, what I was facing. So I was terrified. I couldn't sleep. Even now, I still feel like it's a dream.

You know, when I was in there, I used to have dreams. I was home. I would wake up and I'll be in there. Now I'm home. I have dreams I'm in there. So it's like, it's just is what they did to me. And it's not like, you know, men and black is around where they got the, you know, the little ones or whatever.

Somebody could walk up to you, take a picture, and you forget all these things. Like, it plays in my mom on a regular day. basis and that's why even though I'm anti-social I don't really go places I'd rather come here and talk to people so you know they don't give up they don't stop even you know just go up there if you know you didn't do it don't admit to anything you didn't do no matter if they throw the book at you because at least when you're in prison you can say yes I'm here wrongfully they can't take that away for me I mean so you just got to stick to what you believe and That's really what I did.

What's something you wish you did when you first got arrested? I wish I had, I wish I never even came back down that night. I was like, damn, why did I even try to light these, you know, for why did I even try to light these people up? I should have just had somebody roll by we able to bed, fine, chilling. But, you know, everything happens for a reason, you know, like even now, you know, I'm looking at the prospects, like, you know, they offering money or whatever the case might be. That might help us temporarily.

But it's like I want the jury to see what these officers did to me. You know, I want them to, I want actual change to come from this. Because, you know, I made it out, but somebody could be in my shoes right now, you know, who don't have nothing like I did, you know, besides their mother, you know. And they, like, man, let me just, I can't do this. me in my life, you know, so I feel like it's important what you do. And, you know, that's, that's one of the blessings that I'm here. I try to use it, use my situation everywhere. I'm up every night, you know, worried, like somebody's going through this and I want to be able to

help that person. But I got to be able to help myself first to be able to help others. Do you think that there's a silver lining? Like, you know, when I look back and I see other people's stories too, you know, mine and theirs about, you know, they went through something terrible, but it turned out to be the best thing that could ever happen to them. Do you feel like there's something that you could find in your story? Yeah, because I feel like now I'm studying a little more, you know, some of my friends, they, you know, people don't stand in Ireland. This was the first time they actually seen somebody my age be accused of something so serious and got found not guilty. So everybody's looking at that. Like, even

In my neighborhood, people get targeted for owning firearms, you know, and protecting their Second Amendment rights. And the city of New York feels like they could give people three, four years in jail for just exercising their rights. And meanwhile, you got officers who don't care about people's safety, and they just want you defenseless, not knowing this is one life we got. When somebody take it, you can't get it back. So you got to do whatever you can to defend your life.

and these people want us out here walking around with nothing, and they want to be the only ones having the guns and authority. How long did it take to go to trial after you got bail that second time? It took a year, a year and a half. America's first pledge was freedom. Jeep still carries that fighting spirit. With the Jeep declaration of deals, we're pledging our allegiance to the American people

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0.65% new client boost for three months on up to $150,000. Direct deposit $1,000 a month and fund an investing account for a 0.25% increase. Cash account offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC, member FINRA, SIPC, not a bank. I'm acquitted until November of 2018. How long was the trial? The trial was three weeks. Wow, that's a pretty long trial for a state court. That's what I'm saying.

And I didn't even, I didn't test. and I just was listening to what they were saying. Like, my lawyers and them was going back and forth and people try to come at me now for not taking a stand. But I'm like, I'm not going to take the stand and then they try to, you know, make me look bad and ask me trick questions. Because you know that's what they was looking for.

They ain't have a case. So if I get up there and I say the wrong thing, the jury might be, oh, yeah, he probably did do it. So that's why I'm like, nah, it's my right. You know, this is why we're in the situation now. So I'm going to exercise my rights and I've been doing that ever since I speak my mind. In fact, they had the assembly man that Michael Tenoosa was the prosecutor.

He called the lawyer that's defending the city and the cops in his lawsuit. Like, oh, Victor is talking about me on social media. He's commenting on my public platforms because they ain't never seen this before. You know, people go to jail, they come home, act like that was some humane experience they just went through. even if you're guilty of something when you come home you still suppose to protest that would you want your brother going through that

would you want your mother going through that would you want anybody you cared about going through that so you still suppose to protest because this country and these people have done crimes against humanity and nobody has faced consequences they build these jails for dumb

but they want to put innocent people in there and then when they break the law all year it's qualified immunity it's absolute immunity you can't even sue the judge You can't even sue the prosecutor because, oh, we don't want lawsuits and they're not able to advocate their judge. Basically, there was a case where a DA freaking falsify evidence, you know, lied on this person. And the court says, oh, well, you know, we can't allow lawsuits against prosecutors, even though this was an egregious case. It's just not going to be right for the system.

I'm like, so basically they could kill somebody or because they're prosecutor. is they don't face no accountability, no jail time, nothing. Crazy. Yeah, so those are the things I'm working on. You know, when I seen the incident with Mayor Adams, I felt like I wanted to be the mayor. I felt like I wanted to make a difference. And I was saying that I even called the campaign financing board

and they was telling me all these things. And I told them my story a little bit. And they was like, well, if you could get people to donate $100 to a campaign, we will match it up to eight times. So basically that's what Mayor Adams did. He got scored donors. And then say he got a million dollars in donation, the city was matching it $8 million.

So that's how come he ended up stealing $10 million in public funds. And this guy can say he's still the mayor of New York. I'm like, that's ridiculous. He's walking around, talking all this hot talk. And here I was in jail for something I ain't doing. This guy could come $10 million. you should have bail. You should be not the mayor anymore.

Like, what? That's just politics and stuff like that. So I'm looking out of those things. Yeah, the criminal justice system definitely favors those that are rich and powerful, unless it's a severe case, like a ditty case where he's not getting bailed. And that's ridiculous of his own because it's not like he went to people housed and held them at gunpoint. I haven't seen that as an accusation yet that he, you know, kidnapped these people.

It's like the same thing with. Or Kelly. Like, you know, these people see his fame wanting some money. And then once the money stop coming, oh, yeah, let's go try to get it now. Like, you know, that's messed up. Well, I mean, the thing with Diddy, though, is that they found unmarked guns. Unmarked guns. Yeah, yeah.

And then that and then the Cassie video with the violence. Yeah. So there's danger to the community, you know? That's a fact. But even the gun, back to the gun thing, like, that's our right. Well, not to have ghost guns. No, but that's what I'm saying. If you really, like the Constitution doesn't say, oh, you can't file your serial.

These are all things these people make up as they go along. Like, this is my property. How you want to tell me what I can't and can't do with my property? It's a gun. So what? If you see me kill somebody with that gun, my fingerprints is going to be on the, but if it's in my house and I scratch my serial number of it, that's illegal to you, that gives you reason to come in my house?

No. Well, not. They didn't go in the house before. But they found it. But imagine if you had a family member that was killed by an unmarked gun and they can't trace it back to anyone. But how they can't trace it back to anyone? Like if they, if that gun was, however, if it's registered, if they found the gun and it's not registered to anyone. Oh, so then they can't track.

That's the purpose of those serial numbers. It's registered to an actual someone, you know. It's 100% your legal right to have the gun, but. So defile it is a, is a different. Yeah, because it's not registered. That's why they call it a ghost gun. Oh, right, right. Oh, no, I see what the way they was going with that.

Yeah, so you people could be out there killing people and it couldn't tie back to anyone, you know, unless you found the fingerprints, but not everyone's fingerprints in the system or this and that. So they do, like, ballistics and stuff like that and try to buy. If the serial number is not there, then they can't do that. Yeah. So did you have a public defender or a paid attorney? Yeah, in the beginning, I had a legal aid, and I feel like that's where a lot of stuff was missed, too, because, like, legal aid, they're so overwhelmed with a bunch of cases.

I feel like if I would have hired the private attorney to begin where I probably, but even then, like, they kept so much from us that even a paid lawyer would have helped in that situation because my lawyer, when we went to trial, we was basically going in there blonde. Like, we have none of the impeachable evidence that they're given now. We have none of the exculpatory evidence they're given now. and we just went in there saying like, look, you know, you take their testimony for what they're saying. You know, the bus picture, this office that don't even have it to show it to you today. So the jury just went off of it.

They basically threw themselves underneath the bus. What they wanted, what they didn't want to happen was to go to trial. And that's what ended up happening. And they couldn't talk their self out of that situation. So my lawyer just cross-examined them and just collapsed them. So that's what I, no, that's, it's just God, bro.

When do you think was that, yeah, that biggest, like, turning point that you knew, like, I'm going to win this in the trial? When they try to say, oh, doing the commission of the crime, I took off my mask and told the person to remember my face. Once I heard that, I'm like, yeah, this is some Disneyland, you know, fairytale thing because it's like, why even wear the mask just to go there and throw it? caution to the win and say, oh yeah, remember my face. Like, I'm victim.

Remember me. Like, and when the cops got there, he even, he said I could recognize the person. He took off his mask. So whoever, like the first victim, whoever he seen that day on the bus was definitely who robbed him because he, like, this person took off his mask. I got a good look of his face. And then the detective tried to say that was me. And I could even, I don't know.

I was supposed to say you to picture. so you can upload. But if you look at this picture, you could clearly see that's not me. And this officer said, oh, that's Victor Abram. Let me add him to the photo array. And then when a victim come there,

he pressures him to pick me. Wow. Yeah, so it was a setup, bro. It was a setup. And, you know, it's just sick to know that I had to go through that for no, well, I wouldn't say for no reason

because I learned, you know, and, you know, I wanted to be a pilot before this, but now I see myself again and it's a law and, you know, and. Maybe your purpose is to help someone else. Yeah, you know, be a lawyer because I see what's going on. Like, I'm so, you know, what's the word I'm looking for?

Like, you know, it's active to my surroundings, more, you know, when I go out, things catch my attention quicker. Like, I'm hyper focused on things now more than I was before. So I see a lot of police brutality. I see a lot of room for imprisonment. I see a lot of injustice being done. and I want to, you know, make a difference. I want to, because a lot of people died for these rights we take so lightly, you know. A lot of people fall for our civil rights.

It's not just black people who go through this. It's Caucasian people. It's different race of people. By the end of the day, we just want a race. We're the human race. And we got to be compassionate for each other. You know what I mean? So that's why I just come.

I just want this to, like, say, somebody watching this right now to just say don't give up i mean keep fighting even when they try to say 25 years if you know you didn't do it just don't go up there and confess to something that you didn't do because the outcome is your life is still going to be ruined you're still going to be traumatized so fight for yourself fight for what you believe in after the jury or after closing arguments was there any doubt in your mind that there was a chance you would lose or win or what are your thoughts It's like you and your attorney because I went to trial, so I know what it's like. What are those conversations like?

And I'm sure you never expected them to come back 15 minutes later. Yeah, I was saying I couldn't even, there was like go. My lawyer actually stepped downstairs to go grab a bite or something. I couldn't even leave the courtroom out when we walked out and the jury was deliberate. And I was just saying right there in front of the double doors. And then all of a sudden they just came back. I called my lawyer. He came back.

He came back. We got to, we got to, actually he came back upstairs and let me know. It was because they called him. It was like, oh, we have a verdict then. He was like, that quick, I mean? They say normally that's guilty if it's that quick. Yeah, but he was like, you know, so he was like, nah, me, I don't know, because it's quick. So we went in there and then it was like, ladies and gentlemen, have you reached a verdict?

It was like, not guilty. And I was like, but it's like that anxiety never left me. Like, I still feel it till this day. I still feel like probably because I'm still fine like this lawsuit tool going on right now. I still feel like I'm fighting for my life. Like it was a, you know, it took 15 minutes and now the city got a bunch of different excuses to while these officers shouldn't be out accountable. Oh, you know, probable cause and all these things.

But in that same breath, they're trying to give me crumbs to settle the case. They know that. I'm like, you're a lawyer for 37 years. You admit that yourself. How can't you see they did me wrong? Was the jury looking at you when they walked in or were they looking elsewhere? I think they was looking at me. They was looking at my mom and stuff like that because every time they came to court,

they only saw my mom, my brothers and stuff like that. I didn't really have, you know, a lot of support from the community and things like that. So my mom, you know, they're like, nah, she wouldn't, not me being here doing all of this, judge kicking her out and stuff like that. I feel like all those little things played a part and especially the part. the part where I took off my mask and said, remember my face. They saw me and they saw the family I came from

the type of character I was, and I even say a word. And they was like, nah, that's just unbelievable. Yeah, no criminal record. Yeah, no criminal record. And take off his mask and so blatant, so disregard for his own safety like that. And then for him to come home,

because the only thing they heard about me being hospitalized and things like that. and to rob somebody again three days later. Like all those things just, they try to make me look like a predicate, and they was trying too hard that the jury saw that, you know, this is a setup. So what happens after that not guilty verdicts were at, like, you know, one second you're faced under the gun, the next second you're a free man. What's that like?

The judge got up, looked at me, walked off the bench, the prosecutor, didn't even look my way, ran on the other side of the courthouse. It was just crazy. bro, like, it was crazy. What did you do? What was your first act of freedom? I went, I went back to my mother's. She was like, you see, this is why I say don't go outside.

Don't do, she didn't want me to leave the house. She didn't want me nothing. Like, I didn't even want to go out. Like, I was just, I just couldn't believe it, bro. Like, I just, it was just so sickening. And, like, I'm like, I went through that whole thing for nothing, for nothing. Like, it was just a sickening and experience. I don't know people have it worse, but it's like to actually go through it yourself.

Like, it's just, there's no words. Like, there's no words. Does it make you think differently about cops? So are you someone now that believes maybe all cops are bad or just to select you? Yeah, because I feel like to join a organization that you know has been terrorizing innocent people and killing innocent people, sending innocent people to prison. It's like you got to realize that, you know, they say NYPD, but if it was ISIS, everybody, nobody would think twice about joining ISIS. But because it says New York Police Department, they can do no wrong.

They're not a domestic terrorist organization, which they are. Because they infringe on our rights. They show up after the fact, and they ruin tons of lives. And none of them face accountability. And even if they do, is a slap on the wrist. like so it's not it's just not fair if they're gonna have I feel like if they want to do cops

they should first do eight years of college this you know the law more than lawyers because you can't be having the power to kill people and you don't even know the law like look at the situation with Sonia Massey

know what I mean shoulder up in her kitchen you think that officer would like that if somebody did that to his mom you wouldn't like that well and that cop also should never have been hired to begin with. He was fired from other departments. It's the indifference. But that's what I'm saying is like the indifference that show

to people. They don't care. Yeah. And they make tons of money. Look at Lutz. He's comfortable. He's comfortable. He guys, they kept him all five years after the fact so he could collect more on his pension. And now he's somewhere living his life, not worry about any of this. They don't even make him show up to court dates because it's like, you know, there's no seriousness in this. These people put me in jail for 300. 85 days. Just because it wasn't their house,

you know, their basement. And you saw what they did to Ariel Cashgo, the guy that kidnapped those three ladies or whatever, in a thousand plus years. But, oh, because it's Rikers Island and it's state sanctioned, so nobody goes to jail. And that's the part that pisses me off the most. Because when I went, when we,

when I first filed the lawsuit, all the evidence they deny me during my criminal trial, they push those evidence forward now. Oh, look, it wasn't actually missing. It wasn't a case file. Like, that's supposed to help them. And then on top of that, they was like, oh, well, you know, he did a 385 days. So we're going to now give him $5,000 for always pain and suffering.

So they are offering you money now. Yeah, they offer, no, back two years ago, they offered me $5,000, right? And, you know, I'm like, that's $12 a day for what I went through. So I'm like, that's ridiculous. I'm not taking that. So two years later now, they come, all right. So he's not going to take the 5K. Will he take the $400,000?

I'm like, I'm not taking that shit either because that's $1,000 a day. So they offered you $400,000? Yeah, I'm like, I'm not taking that because it's $1,000 a day. Nobody, even if somebody's a bum on the street right now, that would say, oh, yeah, give me $1,000, let me go get tortured, and, you know, held against my will and things like that. But I'm like, nobody will even do it. that. Even the correctional officers who get paid, they don't want to beat it. And even that's giving

somebody a challenge. That's like a competition because you're offering them a thousand dollars. Me, I was taking against my will. So I can't even compare it to that. And on top of that, mind you, the lawyers get 33%. So it's not even the $4,000 a day. So what is that? Yeah. It's like it's less than $300,000. Yeah, that's what I told him. I'm like, I'd rather have nothing. I'd rather be in the shelter. I'd rather, let me go to the, the jury and the jury hear this and they said, oh yeah, this is, you know, he deserved nothing for this. He deserve

$1,000 a day. Let the jury decide. How would you feel if the jury gives you less than $400,000 looking back on it? I would just say, you know, this is how it is. I mean, clearly those wasn't a jury of my peers if they could hear this and pick the cops

are, you know? Because right now I'm telling you, but the way how a lawyer is going to break it down, this should be able to understand that these officers violated my rights and there was actually malice when they was doing it was premeditated what they did yeah well if you won the criminal trial i'm pretty sure they're gonna be pretty afraid to go to a civil trial too because the bar is a lot lower in a civil trial yeah i don't even and you know the jury you know that's what i'm saying whatever they give i just wanted to be the i just

want them to understand what i went through is it slated for trial yet not not yet they Like I said, there's a lot of powerful people in my case, like the Assembly man. That's why they don't want to dare pushing him as like the new law and order candidate. They want him to be like the next Donald Trump. So they deny my trial because they know I'm a subpoena him. And then what is he going to say? Oh, I didn't know any of this. I don't make him look good either.

So now they, you know, they want to give me crumbs at the same time denying my trial. So being that now, I said I'm not taking the $400,000. they're trying to dismiss my case. They're trying to, you know, get rid of my case and all of that, but it's not going to work. Because even if the judge saws with them, there's always a higher judge that's going to look at what that judge did

and say, no, this case has merit. My case has merit. That's the word they like to use merit. I'm sure they're going to give you a higher offer. Yeah, I mean, if they went for $5,000 to $400,000, you know? Yeah, but that's what I'm saying is, like, they think, well, they ruin my life, bro. like I'm saying like

I can't provide for my family right now and I've suffered ever since I came home it's been eight years so it's like all that time all that interest or whatever my pain is suffering punitive damages because the cops is never going to go to jail so the punitive part is making sure

that this never happens again so I just want the jury and I'm not even being money hungry when I say I want 30,000 a day because every day they knew I was in there wrongfully and something could have happened to me to the point where I'm not even here to tell my story. And, you know, they said I was ridiculous

because 30,000 a day is basically 11.5 million, right? That's what I want. That's what I'm asking for. And they're saying that's ridiculous. The judge called me a pig. He said pigs get slaughtered. I'm like, you didn't call them a pig when they made that ridiculous offer to me.

$5,000. If I was a dumb person and I took that $5,000, they wouldn't have said, oh, we was just joking. We wanted to see if you was going to take it or not. Here's what we really want to give you. They would have signed that check for $5,000 and had no problem doing it. Had no problem doing it. But because I'm asking for what I'm asking for,

for what I feel I deserve for what I went through and all these things, these past eight years, my kids been in the shelter, no good school, living with rats and roaches, messed up life, bro. Something they wouldn't even subject their own freshman. blood to. That's what me and my family and my kids have been left to endure. So are you working now? Are you able to find a job?

Yeah, I feel like this is it. I feel like, you know, I got to get out here more, speak about this, go to schools, go to prisons, go wherever I need to go for people to know, yeah, don't give up. Victor didn't give up, and Victor ain't, nah, I mean, I'm not, I'm not

nobody special, I'm just a regular human being, I mean, so this is it now. I'm studying the law. I'm a law student. I'm an activist. You know, I want reforms. I want better. Because this, you know, when your house is dirty and you got kids, you don't leave your kids in a dirty house.

You want to clean that house. Make sure when they're comfortable, they free. They don't have to, because my kids is going to get older. And the city lawyer is saying, oh, you won't be the first, you won't be the last. So this is basically saying the same thing can happen to my kids. They could be tall. They could be anything. Anything can happen. And I want to make sure I did my very best to make sure when I'm old and I lay down and I say, yeah, you know, I did my best.

That's what I'm striving for right now to make reforms that when they look me up and say, oh, yeah, my dad didn't finish high school. My dad didn't have a college degree, but look what he was able to accomplish without any of that. And that's what I'm striving for right now. That's awesome, man. Yeah, thank you. Well, thank you, Victor, for coming on the show today, man. Thank you for having me. Yeah, I appreciate you, man.

Thank you. You know, hopefully this brings awareness to your case and your story and helps prevent others from going through what you went through. Thank you. And I hope everything works out for the best for you and the future with the lawsuit and everything you plan to do. Thank you. Thank you.

I really appreciate you having me on. Yeah, of course, man. The pleasure's all mine. Thank you.