| PRESS RELEASE: Disabled New Yorker Sentencing Hearing Set on His Birthday — Despite Evidence Proving Innocence and Officer Misconduct Growing Group of Civil and Disability Rights Advocates Call for Urgent Reforms to State-Wide Police Accountability Office Disability Advocate Reveals Harrowing Evidence of Wrongful Prosecution |
| August 8, 2025 — Marc Fishman, a disabled father of four and civil rights advocate, is set to be sentenced on his birthday (August 21)— for a 2018 misdemeanor arrest that court records and newly uncovered surveillance footage show he did not commit. The arresting New Rochelle Police Officer, Lane Schlesinger, has since been fired and named in a damning misconduct report by the New York State Attorney General’s Law Enforcement Misconduct Investigative Office (LEMIO), which outlines a pattern of falsified records, excessive force, and over 40 verified civilian complaints. Like countless others with active cases under repeat offending officers, Fishman is still being prosecuted. A Westchester County judge denied his motion to dismiss the charges earlier this month, even after viewing police precinct video that directly contradicts Schlesinger’s sworn claims. “This is not just about my case, it’s about justice for all New Yorkers” said Fishman, who lives with cognitive impairments from multiple car accidents. “It’s about how New York continues to prosecute people based on the word of officers the state itself has proven to be dishonest.” Fishman recently told his story in an episode of the “Impunity” podcast, a new series investigating police misconduct and accountability in New York.🎧 Listen to and watch the full episode here: |
| Created in 2021, LEMIO was designed to investigate abuse across more than 500 law enforcement agencies in New York. But as Fishman’s case illustrates, its findings are only advisory — meaning prosecutors can ignore them, and impacted defendants may never even be informed. The Consequences Are Dire. Mr. Fishman has now been separated from his children for over 1,600 days as a result of the original arrest — a separation compounded by delays, housing instability, and court battles that never should have occurred. This Wide-Spread Injustice is Widespread, Not Isolated. According to The Legal Aid Society, complaints against NYPD and other agencies have surged by 33% since 2020. And officers named in LEMIO reports across 500+ police departments statewide continue to testify in court and secure convictions with little oversight or accountability. In 2023, another New Rochelle officer fatally shot Jarrell Garris, an unarmed Black man experiencing a mental health crisis. That officer remains on the job — without indictment or consequence. “It’s a wake-up call for all New Yorkers. If police lie and courts don’t care, none of us are safe.” A growing group of advocates and civil rights groups join Fishman in now calling on New York State lawmakers to give LEMIO real power — including the ability to trigger case reviews, compel cooperation from prosecutors, and refer officers for prosecution when misconduct is confirmed. |
| For press inquiries, interview requests, or more information on the case, please contact: James Christopher Communications, LLC press@james-christopher.com |
New Rochelle Police Abuse 