Wrongly convicted of robbery, man files suit in Brooklyn Federal Court
A Staten Island man wrongly convicted of a 2008 robbery has filed a civil suit in Brooklyn federal court against New York City and the New York City Police Department, alleging that his 4th Amendment protection from malicious prosecution and his right to a fair trial were violated.
In 2008, Alberto Ortiz was shot and robbed in a Brooklyn apartment building after surveillance footage showed two African-American males follow Ortiz into an elevator. Police detectives stated that, once out of the hospital for injuries sustained during the attack, Ortiz stated that “people in the neighborhood” identified Lawrence Williams as the shooter.
Based on these rumors, the detectives created a computerized photo array of people sharing the name “Lawrence Williams” and stated that Ortiz selected Williams from the array. In addition, Ortiz selected Williams from a physical lineup. No other evidence was presented to place Williams at the scene.