Background
The Fortress Innocence Group was formed by Martin Tankleff, Jay Salpeter, the private investigator who fought for his innocence, and others, in the fight for justice. Fortress reinvestigates cases in which there is no DNA, but compelling evidence of innocence.
New York State Senator Eric Schneiderman, Chairman of the Senate Democratic Taskforce on Criminal Justice Reform, which earlier this year held a series of hearings across the state examining the causes of wrongful convictions said, “There are serious reforms that need to be made at the state level to ensure that we never convict another innocent person. . .The Fortress Innocence Group will expand the capacity that now exists to investigate these cases and will complement the work of already existing groups like the Innocence Project. Marty Tankleff, who has personally experienced the nightmare of being convicted of a crime he did not commit, is the perfect person to help spearhead this new initiative.”
Other influential individuals are committed to our cause, such as New York State Assemblyman Joseph Lentol and New York State Assemblyman Michael Giannaris, who is the sponsor of the bill to create an Innocence Commission in New York that would aim to eliminate wrongful convictions in the state. Assemblyman Gianarris commented, "One innocent person spending years in prison for crimes he or she did not commit is one too many, and recent history proves that the problem in New York is more widespread than anyone would like to admit. The Fortress Innocence Group's goal of ensuring that the innocent no longer languish in our prisons is a noble one, and I wish them luck in their endeavor."
Contact Us
If you have any questions, you can call us at (516) 466-8877 or (212) 414-5861.
If you are interested in applying for consideration, the first step is to complete our questionnaire.
