NEW YORK, UNITED STATES – 2021/07/09: Bronx County District Attorney Darcel Clark speaks during media briefing on Saturday Night Lights program at Boys Club of New York. The Saturday Night Lights program kicks off on July 10 and will continue all year long. The city invested $5 million to fund this program. Each Saturday, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., children from 11- to 18-years-of-age will be able to enjoy an array of indoor sports, including basketball, soccer, volleyball, dance, martial arts and more. (Photo by Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Prosecutors in the Bronx say more than 500 convictions have been or will be dismissed because they relied on testimony from a former NYPD detective now facing perjury charges in Manhattan.
District Attorney Darcel Clark said a judge dismissed 133 felony cases Thursday linked to former detective Joseph Franco, bringing the total to 257 so far. Her office's Conviction Integrity Bureau plans to seek dismissals in more than 250 additional cases, as well.
"We did not want to dismiss or vacate out of hand all cases he was involved in; we investigated those that hinged on his testimony and sworn statements. His compromised credibility suggests a lack of due process in the prosecution of these defendants, and we cannot stand behind these convictions," Clark said in a statement.
Franco was indicted in April 2019, accused of lying about witnessing drug transactions that never happened, and fired by the NYPD in April 2020. He is still awaiting trial on the charges against him.
Prosecutors in Manhattan and Brooklyn have previously moved to dismiss hundreds of cases where Franco was a key witness.
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