George Martorano

George Martorano
Born 1950
Philadelphia, United States
Other names George Martorano
Criminal penalty Life imprisonment
Criminal status Released
Conviction(s) Drug possession and distribution

George Martorano (born 1950) was the longest-serving first-time non-violent offender in the Federal Bureau of Prisons at the time of his release. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole in 1988 on drugs charges.[1] Martorano was released in October 2015 after serving over 32 years (July 6, 2016 TEDx Talks.)

In 1984, on the advice of his attorney Robert Simone, Martorano pleaded guilty to 19 counts of drug possession and distribution.[2] Martorano was subsequently advised by both the prosecution and the judge, John Berne Hannum, that this plea could result in a sentence of life without the possibility of parole.[2] The prosecution, however, had only recommended a sentence of from 40 to 54 months. On September 20, 1984,[2] Martorano was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the longest prison term ever imposed on a first-time non-violent offender in American history.

Controversy

Prior to Martorano's sentencing, Simone was indicted on tax evasion charges.[2] Again, before sentence was imposed in the Martorano case, Judge Hannum testified as a character witness for Simone.[3] An article appeared in the Philadelphia Daily News criticizing the judge and called his testimony "highly unusual".[2] Martorano stated in subsequent appeals that Judge Hannum should have recused himself from his case prior to imposing sentence.

Life in prison

Martorano distinguished himself during his time in federal prison. In addition to being a "model" prisoner, Martorano:

  • prevented the hijacking of an aircraft by prisoners while in transit from Philadelphia to Oklahoma, OK following the loss of his 33rd appeal. This incident has been documented by the FBI and FBOP and was called "extraordinary" by D.C. DeCamillus, SIS lieutenant
  • was considered one of the most prolific writers in the Federal Prison System, having authored more than 31 books. He has also written numerous short stories, screenplays and poems
  • published a self-help booklet for inmates entitled the "ShotCaller". This publication has been approved by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) for use in prisoner re-entry programs [1]
  • has developed a creative writing course - "The Write to Life" - which has assisted numerous inmates in earning GEDs and developing creative writing skills.
  • is a certified suicide watch counselor. He often uses himself as an example in this role, telling fellow inmates: "If I have hope facing what I am facing every day so can you."
  • was one of the first inmates in the FBOP system to exercise his First Amendment rights digitally, by publishing his work on his blog (www.freegeorge.us) and his website(www.webelievegroup.com)

Appeals

Martorano appealed his original sentence in 1987 and appeared again before Judge Hannum, receiving the same sentence. Subsequently, Martorano has filed over 35 appeals. All the presiding judges upheld the original sentence.[2]

Release

Martorano was released from United States Penitentiary, Coleman, Florida, on October 5, 2015. His release was part of thousands of prisoners released by the Department of Justice to "reduce overcrowding and provide relief to drug offenders who received harsh sentences".[4]

References

  1. 1 2 "George Martorano, prisoner of the drug war." The November Coalition. July 11, 2007. Accessed on January 19, 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "United States of America v. Martorano." Justia: US Law. Accessed on January 19, 2012.
  3. ↑ "George Martorano." Black, Srebnick, Kornspan & Stumpf. Accessed on January 19, 2012.
  4. ↑ "George Martorano Released From Prison After 31 Years for Drugs". 23 October 2015.
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