State Of Colorado Won't Oppose Clarence Moses-El's $1.9M Exoneration Claim

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DENVER (AP) — Colorado's attorney general will not fight a claim for $1.9 million in compensation filed by Clarence Moses-El, a man who spent 28 years in prison for a rape conviction that was later overturned. Attorney General Phil Weiser announced his decision Thursday.

Clarence Moses-El on the day he was acquitted of rape (credit: CBS)

Moses-El is seeking the compensation under Colorado's Exoneration Act. The law provides $70,000 for each year a person is wrongfully held.

Colorado's previous attorney general, Cynthia Coffman, argued that Moses-El's case did not meet the requirements of the law. But she asked a court not to rule until Weiser took office in January and could review the issue.

Moses-El was freed in 2015 after a judge overturned his 1988 conviction on rape and assault charges. Prosecutors retried the case but a jury found Moses-EL not guilty in 2016.