Media Personality Jennifer S. Wilkov to Speak at It Could Happen to You 5th Annual Summit

NEW YORK - April 21, 2015 - PRLog -- Media personality Jennifer S. Wilkov will speak this Thursday, April 23^rd, in Albany, NY, at the It Could Happen to You 5^th Annual Summit: Progressive Prosecutors which will be held at the Albany School of Law located at 80 New Scotland Avenue, Albany, NY, 12208 from 8:45am – 3:30pm.

Ms. Wilkov will talk during the afternoon presentation entitled, “How It Could Happen to You” alongside Yusef Salaam of the Central Park Five, Jeffrey Deskovic of the Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation, and others. During her portion of the presentation, she will share the stories of what happened when she found herself at the center of a legal storm where she was incarcerated in Rikers Island for a crime the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ruled she did not commit, how the criminal justice system failed to uphold her rights to fair prosecutorial practices and proper representation, and how it has changed and shaped her life.

She has previously addressed this controversial case in her award-winning feature article that appeared in the April 2009 issue of Marie Claire and during her March 2009 interview on CNBC Squawk Box. She has also spoken publicly about it during her TEDx Talk at the TEDxBroadStreetNY event in June 2011 held in New York City.

Ms. Wilkov will reveal insights resulting from her experience with the criminal justice system including being sentenced to one of New York’s and the nation’s most violent prisons – Rikers Island. She will discuss her belief and first-hand understanding of why New York’s prosecutorial practices require reform.

“I’m delighted to have the unique opportunity to reveal these important insights for the attendees of the It Could Happen to You 5^th Annual Summit,” says Jennifer S. Wilkov. “Going to jail as an innocent man or woman is a fear held by many across the United States, especially licensed professionals like I was in a regulated industry that requires proper supervision by licensed supervisors who work for large, publicly held corporations. Oftentimes, we are uncertain about what we are going to do when we are hit with what appears to be a devastating situation and, moreover, we are not confident about how we are going to handle it. I appreciate the opportunity to work with The It Could Happen to You organization which educates citizens in New York State and the nation about how easy it is right now to find themselves facing an inappropriate indictment and prison sentence for something they didn’t do.”

Ms. Wilkov will join in this year’s It Could Happen to You 5^th Annual Summit event which was attended in previous years by participants from the Brooklyn Defenders Association, Catholic Charities Criminal Justice Committee, Center of Appellate Litigation, Center for Law and Justice, Innocence Project, Judicial Process Commission, New York City Legal Aid Society, New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, New York State Defenders Association, New York Civil Liberties Union, New York State United Teachers, and others.

Also featured at this year’s Summit will be keynote speaker Bennett L. Gershman, Esq., former Manhattan New York City Prosecutor, Current Pace University School of Law Professor of Justice, and one of the nation’s most respected scholars on prosecutorial conduct and ethics; Adam Levy, District Attorney, Putnam County, NY; Mark Hale, Chief Conviction Review Unit, Kings County NY District Attorney’s Office, and Mark Gilson, Director of Conviction Review, District Attorney’s Office, City of Philadelphia, PA, among others.

“New York State should be the national trailblazer in criminal justice reform. A critical element in the transformation of our state’s justice system is the enactment of rules to enhance fair prosecutorial practices. It Could Happen To You continues to build a diverse grass roots coalition to drive the establishment of a State Commission on Fair Prosecutorial Practices and Discovery reform,” says Bill Bastuk, Chair of It Could Happen to You Inc. “We're grateful to have Jennifer S. Wilkov, a former successful Certified Financial Planner, join us to bring her unique story to this year’s summit and as a board member. She clearly defines how vulnerable successful business people are to false accusations involving white collar crimes.”

About Jennifer S. Wilkov

Jennifer S. Wilkov’s passion for communication has led to her being a keynote speaker, a #1 international best-selling award-winning author, an award-winning freelance writer, a #1 radio show host and executive producer on WomensRadio, a successful book and business consultant, and an entrepreneurial mentor.  She survived being incarcerated in one of New York’s and the nation’s most violent prisons, Rikers Island, after inappropriately being told to plead guilty to a crime she didn’t commit by an attorney who mishandled her case. Her Sixth Amendment right was then overlooked by the judge in her case when she was denied her request for an adjournment to seek new representation after her attorney was granted a withdrawal just prior to her sentencing hearing.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) denied in their entirety all charges of fraud, withholding material facts, failure to disclose and breach of franchise agreement which were brought by Ameriprise Financial against Ms. Wilkov as a third party respondent during an arbitration held in May 2011. Ms. Wilkov is currently preparing her appeal in the New York State criminal justice system.

Jennifer continued to succeed as a best-selling author, keynote speaker, media personality, and entrepreneur after enduring this devastating, unimaginable experience. She knows what it takes to live the life you love in the face of any challenge. She also knows the high cost of non-compliant compliance supervision for firms and their employees like Ameriprise Financial in the financial, insurance, accounting and legal industries. She is a board member of the It Could Happen to You organization and a prominent publishing industry and personal development professional.

As a keynote speaker, Jennifer fans the flames of the Human Spirit in each audience member and empowers them with her inspiring message: “You have the right to remain fabulous!”

For more information, go to http://www.JenniferSWilkov.com.

For interviews with Ms. Wilkov, please contact info@jenniferswilkov.com or (917) 727-8434.

For more information about It Could Happen to You Inc., please refer to http://www.itcouldhappen2you.org