Wrongful Conviction

Hosted by celebrated criminal justice reform advocate and founding board member of the Innocence Project Jason Flom, Pulitzer prize-winning podcast host and producer Maggie Freleng, and Emmy Award-winning writer, producer and podcast host Lauren Bright Pacheco, Wrongful Conviction features intimate conversations with men and women who have spent years in prison for crimes they maintain they did not commit. Some have been fully exonerated and reunited with family and friends while others continue to languish, with some even facing execution on death row. Each episode peels back the layers behind the stories of those who have found themselves caught in a legal system gone wrong, with illuminating insights from lawyers and leading experts sharing their in-depth knowledge about each case, from prison visits and courtroom battles to reexamined crime scenes and witness interviews. This gripping series reveals the tragedy of injustice…as well as the triumph that is possible when people step up and demand change.

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  1. 2d ago

    #594 Jason Flom with Greg Bright

    This week’s episode is a look back at the story of Greg Bright, as originally told to Lauren Bright Pacheco. Greg spent 27 and a half years in Angola for a murder he didn’t commit. He was a young man when he went in, and nearly 50 when he finally walked free in 2003. But Greg’s story is also a reminder that exoneration doesn’t give you those years back. And right now in Louisiana, Greg is at the center of a fight over what the state owes innocent people after taking decades of their lives.Louisiana caps compensation for wrongful imprisonment at $400,000. Greg has now hit that cap, and his payments have stopped — even though he spent nearly three decades wrongfully incarcerated and lost some of the most important earning years of his life. Earlier this year, Louisiana lawmakers unanimously passed a bill that would have raised the cap to $600,000 and extended compensation from 10 years to 15. Governor Jeff Landry vetoed it. Think about that. The state takes 27 and a half years from an innocent man, acknowledges that he was wrongfully convicted, and then decides there’s a limit on how much of that lost time it’s willing to compensate him for. Greg is now 70 years old and has said he may have to sell the home he bought after his release just to cover his living expenses.Greg’s story matters just as much today as it did when we first told it, because getting out of prison is not the end of a wrongful conviction. For people like Greg, rebuilding a life after decades taken away can be another fight entirely. Wrongful Conviction  is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.Never Fight a Shark in Water The Jaguar Man by Lara Naughton See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    #594 Jason Flom with Greg Bright
  2. Oct 1

    #593 Jason Flom with Jeffrey Deskovic

    Jeffrey Deskovic’s first Wrongful Conviction episode was originally published in 2017, and his story is one we’ve returned to many times over the years — not only because of the 16 years he lost in prison for a murder he didn’t commit, but because of what he chose to do with his life after he was finally exonerated.Jeffrey’s story also has an extraordinary connection to two cases we’ve recently revisited on this show: Andrew Krivak and Anthony DiPippo. The same polygraph operator who helped extract a false confession from Jeffrey when he was just 16 years old was later involved in the interrogation that produced Andy Krivak’s false confession. And years later, Jeffrey and the Deskovic Foundation helped fight to free Andy — Jeffrey even put up his own home as collateral for Andy’s bail.If you’ve been listening to Bone Valley: The Devil’s Quarry, Jeffrey’s story provides important context for the cases of Anthony DiPippo and Andy Krivak — and for how wrongful convictions like these happen in the first place.Also, be sure to check out 16 Years, a film by Jia Rizvi about Jeffrey’s wrongful conviction and the work he’s done since. Wrongful Conviction  is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. ​​We have worked hard to ensure that all facts reported in this show are accurate. The views and opinions expressed by the individuals featured in this show are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Lava for Good. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    #593 Jason Flom with Jeffrey Deskovic
  3. Sep 24

    #592 Jason Flom with Anthony DiPippo

    This special episode was recorded in 2017 with Anthony DiPippo, 6 months after his release from prison.Anthony’s case concerns the murder of Josette Wright, a 12-year-old girl whose body was found in November 1995 in a wooded area of Putnam County, NY with her hands and feet tied behind her back and her underwear shoved down her throat. A few weeks later, detectives from the sheriff’s office picked up an unsuspecting teenager on drug charges, and managed to coerce him into pointing the finger at a group of his friends, including Anthony DiPippo and Andrew Krivak. That same sheriff’s office used a since-discredited polygraph expert to get a false confession out of Andy, which ultimately led to both Andy and Anthony being sentenced to 25 to life for the rape and murder of Josette Wright.Since the release of this episode, Anthony settled his civil suits against the sheriff’s department and was awarded $12 million by Putnam County. To hear a lot more about Anthony’s story and where he is now, check out Bone Valley Season 5, "The Devil's Quarry." Host Paul Solotaroff deeply investigates Anthony’s case and the person who may have been implicated instead.And a second installment of The Devil’s Quarry is coming soon. Paul is back in the same small New York town, reporting on a crime with eerie similarities to the one Anthony was originally convicted of. Look out for the first episode on September 30th, you won’t want to miss it. Wrongful Conviction  is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. ​​We have worked hard to ensure that all facts reported in this show are accurate. The views and opinions expressed by the individuals featured in this show are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Lava for Good. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    #592 Jason Flom with Anthony DiPippo
  4. Sep 17

    #591 Jason Flom with Andrew Krivak

    This special edition of Wrongful Conviction Behind Bars was recorded inside of Wende Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison in Buffalo, NY with Andrew Krivak, and his attorney Professor Adele Bernhard in 2017.Andy’s case concerns the murder of Josette Wright, whose body was found in November 1995 in a wooded area of Putnam County, NY with her hands and feet hog-tied behind her back and her underwear shoved down her throat. A few weeks later, detectives from the sheriff’s office picked up an unsuspecting teenager on drug charges, and managed to coerce him into pointing the finger at a group of his friends, including Anthony DiPippo and Andy Krivak. That same sheriff’s office used a since-discredited polygraph expert to get a false confession out of Andy, which along with a coerced witness statement, ultimately led to 25 to life sentences for both Andy and Anthony.Since the taping of this episode, Andy’s conviction was vacated, and in October 2020, he was released on bail. Jason was there to welcome him back to the free world. The Deskovic Foundation helped bring on additional legal counsel, the legendary Oscar Michelen and Karen Neuwirth, to represent Andy at his 2023 retrial. The jury returned a verdict of Not Guilty. Andy was finally exonerated, after 24 years in prison. In 2024, Putnam County paid him a $20 million settlement.To hear more about Andy’s incredible case, tune into Season 5 of Bone Valley, titled “The Devil’s Quarry.” Paul Solotaroff tells the story of Andy’s co-defendant Anthony DiPippo and the crime that landed both Andy and Anthony wrongfully in prison.A second installment of the Devil’s Quarry is coming soon — it investigates another case in the same town with eerie links to Andy Krivak’s story. Look out for the first episode on September 30th, you won’t want to miss it. Wrongful Conviction  is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. ​​We have worked hard to ensure that all facts reported in this show are accurate. The views and opinions expressed by the individuals featured in this show are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Lava for Good. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    #591 Jason Flom with  Andrew Krivak

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About

Hosted by celebrated criminal justice reform advocate and founding board member of the Innocence Project Jason Flom, Pulitzer prize-winning podcast host and producer Maggie Freleng, and Emmy Award-winning writer, producer and podcast host Lauren Bright Pacheco, Wrongful Conviction features intimate conversations with men and women who have spent years in prison for crimes they maintain they did not commit. Some have been fully exonerated and reunited with family and friends while others continue to languish, with some even facing execution on death row. Each episode peels back the layers behind the stories of those who have found themselves caught in a legal system gone wrong, with illuminating insights from lawyers and leading experts sharing their in-depth knowledge about each case, from prison visits and courtroom battles to reexamined crime scenes and witness interviews. This gripping series reveals the tragedy of injustice…as well as the triumph that is possible when people step up and demand change.

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