In a high-profile New York City subway case, Daniel Penny, who was recently acquitted of criminal charges, is contemplating a malicious prosecution lawsuit against Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and his team.
Penny was found not guilty by a jury on Monday of criminally negligent homicide in the death of Jordan Neely, a homeless man. Neely, 30, had been restrained by Penny in a chokehold after he threatened subway passengers, an action which subsequently led to his death.
According to The Post Millennial, Steven Raiser, Penny's defense attorney, has suggested that it's time to shift the spotlight onto DA Bragg, insinuating that the charges against his client should never have been brought forward. Raiser shared his perspective on Fox & Friends, stating, "They wanted to try and get him on something. They knew they weren't going to be able to get him, so they had to get rid of that top count in order to get to that second count, just in hopes that maybe they could pull out a win here, and they were unsuccessful, thank God."
Raiser has indicated that the lawsuit would primarily target Bragg, accusing him of "blurring" the "ethical lines" in the handling of the case. The defense attorney also alleged a conspiracy between the medical examiner's office and DA Bragg's office, both of which would be subjects of the lawsuit. "The record was made fairly clear as to the extent of his involvement and what occurred here," Raiser said. "He was appointed by Mayor Adams, the same political party as Alvin Bragg. There was collusion there, and the collusion began from the very beginning of this case and all the way through. The district attorney needed the medical examiner and needed the medical examiner to act quickly, and he did just that."
Penny was initially charged with second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide following the death of Neely, who he had subdued after the homeless man, a repeat offender, threatened subway passengers. The manslaughter charge was dismissed on Friday after the Manhattan jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict. The jury subsequently delivered a not guilty verdict on the criminally negligent homicide charge on Monday. This case has raised questions about the justice system's handling of such incidents, and the potential lawsuit could further expose the alleged collusion and blurred ethical lines.
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