Jennifer S. Wilkov Speaks with Key NY State Legislators About Wrongful Convictions

NEW YORK - Feb. 9, 2016 - PRLog -- Jennifer S. Wilkov, a victim of the New York State criminal justice system’s and Ameriprise Financial’s erroneous campaigns as well as a board member of the It Could Happen to You organization, is in Albany today and tomorrow to meet with key New York State Senators to advocate for the bill to establish a Commission on Prosecutorial Conduct in New York State. Meetings in the Senate will include State Senator Michael Nozzolio of District 54, Chair of the Senate Codes Committee and a member of the Senate Finance, Judiciary, Rules and Crime Victims, Crime and Corrections Committees, and State Senator Catharine Young of District 57, Chair of the Senate Finance Committee and now the highest ranking female State Senator.  Meetings in the Assembly will include Assemblyman Joseph Lentol of District 50, Chair of the Assembly Committee on Codes and a member of the Committees on Ways and Means and Assembly Rules. Meetings will take place at the New York State Capitol located at State Street and Washington Avenue, Albany, NY, 12224. When the bill for the Commission on Prosecutorial Conduct passes, New York State will be the first state in the nation to establish such an oversight commission for state prosecutors and have an answer to the burning question, “Who is prosecuting the prosecutors?” which has been troubling citizens nationwide.

The February 3, 2016 New York Times article entitled “Record Number of False Convictions Overturned in 2015” cited the recent report released by the National Registry of Exonerations, stating that 2015 set a record for exonerations in the U.S and that the rate of exonerations has been increasing rapidly for several years. Moreover, the report states that a record number of cases involved official misconduct.

Bill Bastuk, the founder of It Could Happen to You, says, “The proposed Commission on Prosecutorial Conduct is modeled after the successful forty-year New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct. The sad news is that New York State is second in the nation in wrongful convictions, only to Texas. The good news is that more and more state legislators want to take action to make New York a leader in justice reform.”

Ms. Wilkov 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 three years after she had been railroaded into pleading guilty by the Assistant District Attorney and the judge in her case, who both engaged in questionable practices which caused the criminal justice system to fail to uphold her rights to fair prosecutorial practices and proper representation.

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 held in New York City, at the It Could Happen to You 2015 Summit, and in other venues upon request.

Endorsements for the bill to establish the State Commission on Prosecutorial Conduct include the Huffington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Civil Liberties Union, New York Catholic Conference, New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, New York Trial Lawyers Association, New York State Defenders Association, Legal Aid Society of New York, Brooklyn Defenders Association, New York State United Teachers, the Greater Genesee Valley Rochester AFL-CIO, and more.

“I’m delighted to have the unique opportunity to stand up and put forth my support to establish the Commission on Prosecutorial Conduct in New York State,” says Jennifer S. Wilkov. “Inappropriate prosecutorial conduct is unnecessarily hurting our innocent citizens and professionals and costing taxpayers millions of dollars. The time is now to reform the criminal justice system and establish a supervisory authority to oversee the prosecutors who are charged with seeking fair and ethical prosecutions of those who are truly guilty.”

“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 enforce best prosecutorial practices and provide accountability for this group of elected officials and professionals,” says Bill Bastuk, Chair of It Could Happen to You Inc.


About Jennifer S. Wilkov

Jennifer S. Wilkov’s passion for communication has led to her being a #1 international best-selling award-winning author, a keynote speaker, an award-winning freelance writer, a successful book and business consultant, a # 1 radio show host and executive producer, 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 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, media personality, entrepreneur and keynote speaker 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 and http://www.SpeakUpWomen.com

For interviews with Ms. Wilkov, please contact Cheryl Sloofman at The Boreland Group Inc. at (201) 370-2275 or csloofman@theborelandgroup.com.

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