Central Park Five's Kevin Richardson slams Bloomberg campaign

Kevin Richardson, a member of the Central Park Five, has hit out at Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s presidential run and his blocking of a multimillion-dollar settlement over the group’s wrongful persecution.

Mr Richardson, one of the five teenagers wrongfully convicted for the shocking assault of Trishia Meili in 1989, was reported to have criticised Mr Bloomberg at an event outside his campaign office in Manhattan.

“We all might vote for a different candidate, but I’m sure [any other Democrat] will be better than Michael Bloomberg,” Mr Richardson said, according to the New York Post article.

“It wasn’t about the lawsuit. It was about getting our life back,” he said of the settlement. “At the end of the day, no amount of money could equal what we endured.”

Mr Richardson was exonerated of the vicious attack on Ms Meili in 2002 alongside four other's Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, and Korey Wise.

The five men filed a lawsuit against the city in 2003 asking for $250 million in compensation for wrongful conviction, racial discrimination, and emotional distress.

Mr Bloomberg was mayor of New York City when the lawsuit was filed, and it dragged on for more than a decade.

His administration spent nearly $6 million fighting the case and the Bloomberg administration refused to settle.

Richardson is also said to have taken aim at Mr Bloomberg’s notorious presidential campaign advertising.

“Don’t let these ads get to you. Don’t be bamboozled by this,” Richardson said.

“We know personally who Michael Bloomberg is, and I’m here to step forward and let you know it’s time to vote, it’s time for our voices to be heard,” Richardson added.

The multi-billionaire is said to have spent over half a billion dollars on advertising according to Bloomberg, who also noted this was an unprecedented amount in the history of presidential primary campaigns.

In response, the Bloomberg campaign issued a statement to The New York Post that did not directly address the former mayor’s handling of the controversial case.

However, the statement pointed to his apology for backing stop-and-frisk: “Mike will continue the dialogue he is having across the country on issues important to the Black and Latino community.”

The Central Park Five, who were all teenagers at the time of conviction, received sentences ranging from five to 15 years.

A nine-month review of the case and confession of serial rapist Matias Reyes which led to the evaluation of DNA that tied Reyes to the crime caused the men’s convictions to be overturned.

Mr Reyes could not be convicted for the rape and assault as his confession came after the statute of limitations had passed.

City Hall paid $41 million to settle the men’s lawsuit against the city in 2014 when Mayor Bill de Blasio took office.

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