'Insane!' New York's Zohran Mamdani picks convicted robber as his criminal justice adviser
New York City's Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has picked a convicted robber to serve as his criminal justice adviser.Mysonne Linen, 49, spent seven years in state prison after being convicted of armed robbery in the late 1990s.The self-professed socialist appointed the convict to serve on a "criminal legal system" committee as part of his transition team.Linen responded to the appointment on Instagram last month."This is a testament to our decades of work advocating on behalf of black and brown communities and our expertise in gun violent prevention, legislative advocacy and criminal justice reform," he wrote."We are building something different."Linen was an up-and-coming hip-hop artist when his career was derailed by criminal charges.A jury found him guilty in 1999 for his role in two separate taxi driver robberies in the Bronx.Zohran Mamdani has picked a convicted robber to serve as his criminal justice adviser | GETTYThe first incident occurred on 8 June 1997, when driver Joseph Exiri was targeted.The second robbery took place on 31 March 1998, with cabbie Francisco Monsanto held up at gunpoint.Linen faced a potential 25-year prison sentence for the offences.He has consistently maintained his innocence.
READ MORE ON ZOHRAN MAMDANI:
Linen reinvented himself as a community activist after his conviction | GETTYHis debut album with Def Jam Recordings was due for release at the time of his conviction.Following his release from prison, Linen reinvented himself as a community activist.The appointment has drawn sharp criticism from some quarters.Campaign group Jews Fight Back shared a statement on social media highlighting serious concerns about the decision.The self-professed socialist appointed the convict to serve on a 'criminal legal system' committee | REUTERS"Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani just appointed a convicted armed robber to help shape NYC's crime and policing policy," the group wrote."Insane. New York City is being handed over to radicals, extremists and outright terrorist," they added."Watch this space. This is going to get even uglier."
