A federal judge has approved the $41 million settlement awarded to the five innocent African-American and Latino men —the Central Park Five—convicted of raping a jogger in New York City's Central Park 25 years ago.
Teenagers at the time, Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam, Kharey Wise and Raymond Santana were accused of savagely beating and raping 28-year-old investment banker Trisha Melfi in April 1989. Following their 1990 conviction, Richardson, McCray, Salaam, and Santana served seven years in prison; Wise served 13. They were finally exonerated in 2002 when DNA evidence supported Matias Reyes' eventual confession.
Though the Bloomberg administration refused to settle, current New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio vowed to do right by the Central Park Five if elected. The agreement was announced in June, and the New York Daily News provided its details:
Under the deal approved by Magistrate Judge Ronald Ellis, Antron McCray, Raymond Santana, Yusef Salaam and Kevin Richardson will get $7.125 million for their years in prison, while Korey Wise will receive $12.25 million. The city will also pay an additional $285,000 in legal fees. The city, however, doesn’t admit to any wrongdoing in the case.
According to de Blasio, the settlement is "long overdue."
[via Gothamist and New York Daily News]
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