Exonerated JJ Velazquez sues NYC for $100M over wrongful murder conviction, 23 years of false imprisonment
A man who spent half his life in Sing Sing for a 1998 murder he did not commit now wants New York City to pony up $100 million for his time behind bars.
Jon-Adrian “JJ” Velazquez is suing the city and law enforcement officials who he says wrongfully arrested and prosecuted him.
In a separate suit, his mother and two sons sued for $50 million.
“These lawsuits are meant to shed light on the damage and tragedy caused by wrongful convictions,” Velazquez told the Post. “I suffered almost 24 years of false imprisonment even though I was innocent and my mother and sons were also victimized.
“No amount of money can ever replace that loss or repair the damage. These lawsuits will expose what happened to us and hopefully will lead to change and provide some measure of justice.”
Velazquez was just 22 when he was sentenced to 25 years to life for the Jan 27, 1998, shooting death of ex-cop Albert Ward, 59, during a botched robbery in Harlem.
Authorities claimed Velazquez was one of two thugs robbing a gambling den on Frederick Douglas Boulevard when Ward came on the scene and pulled a gun.
During a struggle, Ward was shot and killed by one of the men, who was identified as “Tee.” Velazquez was arrested, convicted and given a life sentence after cops maintained he was “Tee.”
But over the years, more and more supporters rallied behind him, claiming he was innocent, with his lawyers filing unsuccessful motions to overturn the conviction in 2014 and 2018.
Hollywood heavyweights like Martin Sheen campaigned to free Velazquez, and his case was chronicled in an NBC News podcast “Letters from Sing Sing.”
On Aug. 17, 2021, Velazquez was granted clemency by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo and released from prison.
In 2022, soft on crime Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg ordered his agency’s Post-Conviction Justice Unit to investigate the case, with a review of the DNA evidence.
The probe determined that DNA on a betting slip handled by “Tee” before the shooting did not match Velazquez — clearing him of being the shooter. No one else has been named or arrested for the murder.
On Sept. 30, 2024, he was exonerated.
“JJ Velazquez has lived in the shadow of his conviction for more than 25 years, and I hope that today brings with it a new chapter for him,” Bragg said at the time.
