Our
Town:
Yellow Rockers Keep Rockin’ On
‘Hometown Hero’ Receives Key to The City
City Pondering Fluoridating Drinking Water
Compton Teen Charged in Slaying of Man in Wheelchair, Friend
So Cal Edison Hosts Young Black Scholars Day of Professional Development
Local
Man Wrongly Convicted Finds Justice at Last
Jim Neusom
lived life as a wrongly convicted felon for five years
By
Cheryl Scott
Bulletin Staff Writer
Los
Angeles resident and former Compton vendor Jim Neusom has been fighting
to clear his name since 2003, when he was falsely convicted of Social
Security fraud.
Before his troubles began he was a successful businessman in the field
of high-tech communications and security systems. He had a client list
that included the city of Compton, and helped build the city’s
emergency communications center.
Today he is poised to begin his life again.
“I have to thank the Lord for this,” he told The Bulletin. “What
finally cleared my name came out of the blue just when I thought everything
was lost.”
Neusom had been taking care of his mother’s business when it
was discovered she had terminal cancer. “At that time she set
up an account for my grandmother and my aunt, and I continued to take
care of their needs after my mother died.”
In compliance with government regulations, he notified the Social Security
office that his mother had died. “In fact, I received two checks
from them after she died, and I returned them,” he said. “I
also notified the bank that they were not to accept anymore checks
in my mother’s name from Social Security.”
But deposits were made directly into the account shared by his grandmother
and aunt. He did not realize that money continued to be issued to his
mother until Social Security representatives came to his home.
“I explained to them that I had notified them of my mother’s
death,” Neusom
said. “They had me sign a statement stating that I was aware
of the deposits and thought the money was for my grandmother and my
aunt. I had spent all of the money on their needs. They said they would
take care of the clerical mistake. Next thing I knew I was indicted
for Social Security fraud, which is a federal offense with a sentence
of five to 10 years in prison.”
A trial ensued. Neusom attempted to obtain bank records that would
back up his story, but they were not available because the bank only
keeps records for two years and the crime was allegedly committed several
years before that.
However, Social Security was unable to present proof that the crime
had been committed.
Although the jury found him guilty, Judge Robert Takasugi refused to
impose even the minimum five-year sentence. He imposed five years of
probation, instead. “This kept me out of prison, thank God,” Neusom
said. “But according to the terms of the probation, I had to
stay in Los Angeles. But I had just gotten married and my wife and
I had moved to Las Vegas. I had sold my house in L.A. But I was not
able to live in Las Vegas in the home I shared with my wife.”
A divorce ensued, as did the destruction of his professional life.
Neusom was founder and president of City Lights Software, a company
that supplied security systems to many cities and other major clients.
“I could not practice my profession because in my work I dealt
with financial information and the terms of my probation prohibited
me from
doing that,” he said. “I was one of the first creators
of Afro-Centric software and I had been a respected writer for black
Websites. Everything was brought to a stop. I was 50 years old, homeless
with no way to make a living in my profession because I could not be
bonded.”
Neusom had been offered a plea deal from the District Attorney’s
office from the start, but he refused it. “I was not guilty of
this offense,” he said. “I had done nothing wrong. I did
not want to take a plea admitting guild for something I did not do.”
Working to re-start his career within the limitations imposed by his
probation, he continued a series of appeals. His case was brought before
the 9thCircuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals, which kicked it back to
Judge Takasugi. It seemed that a never-ending circle was being acted
out, with his case going from one court to another with no apparent
end in sight.
He had come to Compton city officials with a plan for installation
of a city-wide video surveillance system that would be controlled by
citizens. “This city loved the idea,” he said. “It
was on the agenda and ready to be approved.” Ironically, that
deal was quashed when news reports revealed the city was in talks with
a convicted felon.
It was back to square one at that point.
“Then the miracle happened,” said Neusom. “The bank
called me to tell me that they had found on my signature card a note
stating
I had informed them of my mother’s death. Two days later they
called again to tell me that not only had they found proof that I had
notified them – they also found proof that Social Security had
notified them as well.”
He had been convicted for “intentionally” failing to notify
Social Security of his mother’s death.
“This new information pretty much made hash of the government’s
case against me,” he said. “But it’s very difficult
to reverse a conviction because it is difficult to get new evidence
admitted. But the judge finally overturned my conviction.”
Does a lawsuit lie ahead?
“I’m not focused on anything like that,” Neusom said. “I
bear no ill will to anyone. I just want to get my life started again
and repair my business. I have skills and services that would benefit
the residents of Compton and would help me put my life together again.
That’s all I want.”
Neusom thinks, despite everything that has happened to him, that he
is a very lucky man.
“Who would have thought that the bank would randomly find a bit
of evidence that was crucial to me long after the trial was over,” he
says. “That’s
something I never expected and didn’t even hope for. That’s
why I think God had something to do with it.”
Although he never spent a day in prison, Neusom knows what it’s
like to experience life as a convicted felon. And he knows what it’s
like to be free – at last.
ADVERTISE | CLASSIFIEDS | ABOUT US | CONTACT US | SUBSCRIBE | HOME
This site and its contents ©2008 thecomptonbulletin.com