Help Greg Mingo's return after 40 years in prison

Hello, we’re Diana, a childhood friend of Greg Mingo's niece Ava, and Ana, Greg’s long-time friend.  On September 16th, after 40 years in prison, Greg Mingo is coming home! In Gov. Cuomo's last days in office, he commuted Greg's 50-to-life sentence, and Greg and his family are so happy that he will finally be home.  

While Greg is thrilled to come home and will thankfully be able to live with his loving sister Evonne Nemes and her husband, he will need to buy clothing, purchase a car so he can get to his job, and save money so he doesn’t need to work for the rest of his life. Greg will also be working with his lawyers at The Legal Aid Society toward his exoneration, to have his innocence proven once and for all.

For 40 years, Greg has worked tirelessly in prison as a counselor, a teacher, and a paralegal, having a profound impact on the lives of people both within and outside of prison. Because of his incarceration, though, he has earned less than a dollar per hour -- barely enough to cover his basic necessities inside prison.  And to make matters worse, he was unable to collect social security benefits while in prison . At 68 years old, Greg has not had the opportunity to save money for a home, to build an emergency fund, or to save money for his retirement.

Please give whatever you can so that Greg can make a smooth transition home. All money will go directly to Greg's sister Evonne, who will ensure that Greg has all the support he needs.

Background:

In 1981, Greg was wrongfully accused and convicted , along with two others, in a robbery and double murder that took place in Queens one year earlier. Despite initially being offered a plea deal, Greg maintained his innocence the entire time. There was no physical evidence in the case against Greg, and his court-appointed defense lawyer failed to present an alibi witness who had agreed to testify on his behalf.

While in prison, Greg served as a peer counselor, legal research instructor, and led numerous workshops on aggression replacement training and domestic violence prevention. He completed college-level courses that transformed his world view and fueled his aspirations for the future.

Inspired by his story, in 2020 CUNY law students assisted Greg with filing a clemency application, and more than 144,000 people signed a Change.org petition created by his niece Ava calling on Gov. Cuomo to free her uncle. On his last day in office, Gov. Cuomo announced the commutation of Greg's sentence, and after 40 years in prison, Greg is finally coming home.

Thank you for your support!