$810K Settles Wrongful Conviction In Manhattan Newsstand Robberies

MANHATTAN, NY — A man released from prison following his wrongful conviction in a string of newsstand robberies will receive $810,000 in a settlement with the city, officials announced.

The 2017 conviction of Titus McBride relied on testimony from two New York City police officers who "identified him based on unclear surveillance images that lacked distinct facial or identifying features," and also had extensive disciplinary histories, said officials.

The NYPD and District Attorney failed to disclose information about the officers' history of misconduct, which included 13 substantiated allegations between them, authorities said.

“I was blindsided that they withheld pertinent evidence and information” said McBride, 61, to the New York Daily News, who first reported on the agreement. “I caught COVID twice in prison. I lost my brother and father. My mental status went down. It was devastating.”

On Monday, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander announced a pre-litigation settlement for McBride, who spent more than eight years in prison for the burglaries.

McBride was released from prison in October 2022, after the New York Supreme Court granted his appeal to reverse his conviction.

His counsel, civil rights attorney Wylie Stecklow, said he applauded the early settlement unit and Lander for their work "to help victims of police misconduct obtain justice quicker than previously possible."

"This early settlement process is incredibly beneficial to these victims as it helps them swiftly receive compensation for the injustices they suffered without forcing them to wait a number of years while living and reliving this experience over and over through discovery including depositions," he said.

The settlement was originally reached back in January, but Lander's office issued a press release Monday morning following a bombshell report from the New York Daily News detailing McBride's settlement — plus the 3,219 other pre-trial NYPD settlements Lander signed off on between January 2022 and March 11 of this year.

According to the Daily News, $82.7 million in total was paid out in pre-trial settlements.

That number does not include the $249 million paid out to settle NYPD lawsuits after they were filed in 2022 and 2023, the Daily News writes.