New York Gov Andrew Cuomo grants clemency to three people

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo granted clemency to three individuals on Wednesday, including one man who has served 15 years in prison for burglary. 

In a statement, the governor announced the commutations of Freddie Harris, 61, and Juan Serrano, 58. He also reduced the sentence of 30-year-old Teara Fatico.

Cuomo said that ‘in New York we believe in giving a second chance to deserving individuals who have demonstrated remorse and undergone successful rehabilitation’.

‘With this action we are saying once again that the Empire State values fairness and compassion in our criminal justice system, providing these New Yorkers with an opportunity to support their families and contribute to their communities,’ he added.    

Harris has served 15 and a half years of a 17 years to life sentence for two counts of second-degree burglary.  

He was convicted for committing two burglaries in 2004 in which no one was injured. 

According to Cuomo, Harris has earned his GED while in prison, taken several semesters of college courses and participated in multiple training programs. 

He will live with his brother and has an offer of employment upon his release.

Serrano, 58, has served 22 and a half years out of a 35 years to life sentence for three three counts of second-degree burglary and one count of second-degree robbery. 

He was convicted in 2000 for his role in a series of burglaries.

According to Cuomo’s statement, Serrano has ‘not only completed substance abuse treatment, but was selected as a lead facilitator for substance abuse counseling for other incarcerated individuals’. 

Serrano has also earned his GED while in prison and completed multiple vocational classes, including plumbing, electrical work, masonry, carpentry and welding. 

Upon his release, Serrano will live with his wife in Brooklyn and work as a bible study teacher.

Lastly, Cuomo reduced Fatico’s sentence. She has served more than 8 and a half years of a 13 year sentence for first-degree attempted burglary.

In 2011, Fatico facilitated her boyfriend’s entry into an apartment so that he could rob the resident. 

During the incident, Fatico’s boyfriend and the victim had a physical altercation that resulted in the victim’s death. 

Fatico was not present in the apartment during the altercation, but she cooperated and testified against her boyfriend who was convicted of murder. 

While in prison, Fatico has worked toward her associate’s degree and has volunteered in the prison’s infant care center. 

Her sentence has been reduced from 13 years to 11 years, which will make her eligible for release in 2021. 

Since Cuomo took office, New York has closed 15 prisons – more than any governor in state history – and reduced the number of people in state custody by more than 30 per cent. 

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, hundreds of people have been released early following individualized reviews.

To date, 1,861 individuals have been released. Those include: 791 people who have had their low-level parole violations cancelled; 1,062 individuals who were committed on non-violent, non-sex offenses and were within 90 days of their earliest release date; and eight women who were pregnant or postpartum, committed on non-violent, non-sex offenses, and were within 180 days of their earliest release date.