Brooklyn attorney John O’Hara cleared of trumped-up felony charges after 20 years
Another Hynes-era conviction reversed
There were tears in the courtroom of state Supreme Court Justice Miriam Cyrulnik in Downtown Brooklyn on Thursday as Brooklyn attorney John O’Hara was cleared of a felony conviction brought 20 years ago by former Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes.
“I feel great,” O’Hara said afterward. “If you’re a convicted felon, it’s like you’re a second-class citizen.”
O’Hara’s prosecution and conviction have long been characterized as a miscarriage of justice perpetrated by Hynes for political reasons. Over the years, O’Hara, who got his start in New York City politics at the age of 14 when he volunteered for then-City Council President Paul O’Dwyer, had backed numerous candidates not approved by Brooklyn’s Democratic machine and had run, unsuccessfully, for office himself.
It took three trials for O’Hara, prosecuted for “voting from the wrong address,” to go down. He was fined $20,000, ordered to clean bathrooms and pick up garbage in city parks, and disbarred from practicing law.