Brooklyn DA expands panel to review claims of wrongful conviction
Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson has appointed three attorneys to join the newly expanded and reorganized Conviction Review Unit (CRU): Bernard W. Nussbaum, Jennifer G. Rodgers, and Gary S. Villanueva.
The three will serve as an advisory panel for Thompson, reviewing results of CRU investigations on an as-requested basis and advising “on a range of issues, including whether a conviction should stand, needs additional review or should possibly be overturned.”
“Their combined experience and uncompromising integrity will prove invaluable in my office’s efforts to meticulously examine available evidence in order to right wrongs or confirm convictions,” said Thompson, whose campaign to unseat long-time DA Charles J. Hynes included a focus on the popular perception that wrongful convictions is far more prevalent than acknowledged.