Leslie Vass of Baltimore, Maryland was wrongfully imprisoned as a 17-year-old youth in 1975 for armed robbery. Sentenced to a prison term of 20 years as a first-time offender, Leslie became aware his only means of proving his innocence was to learn the laws which were used to imprison him. Obtaining the necessary documents relative to the crime he was convicted of was the start to proving his innocence that led to Judge Robert Bell granting Leslie a court release on October 16th, 1984.

After full unconditional pardon exoneration in 1986 from Honorable Governor Harry Hughes, I’ve been continuously impacted by the very same criminal conviction records Maryland’s Executive Government admitted I was innocent of. Since my exoneration, Maryland's criminal justice system has continuously used the same wrongful criminal records to impact my life and bind me to the criminal justice system—essentially modern-day slavery. Bails were deprived to me due to the wrongful conviction records not being expunged as several Baltimore City Circuit Court Expungement Orders issued, non compliance, yet falsely claimed Expunged. After my Exoneration, I became employed at several State of Maryland Agencies, Child Support Enforcement (1994-95), Dept of Labor, Licensing & Regulations (1998-2004) & Office Of Public Defender (2011-2012) yet during those years, issues arose regarding the criminal records when I applied for other positions. I’ve relocated to  Tampa Florida in 2018 where I network with The Sunny Center, a newly established Housing Program for Exonerees created by Sunny Jacobs / Peter Pringle, former Death Row Exonerees from Galway Ireland.

In 2004 I was notified an arrest warrant was in the police data base and I “voluntarily” surrendered to resolve the matter, upon my initial appearance before the Court Commissioner for Bail Consideration, I was asked if I had been convicted of a “FELONY”, to which I denied, since there were several Expungement ORDERS to destroy the 1975 wrongful conviction records. The Commissioner advised me that because the 1975 Armed Robbery Conviction still existed in the Database I could not be granted a bail. This imprisonment resulted in my (4) minor children, I was custodial parent to, being placed in Maryland State Foster Care. In 2005 I was found “Not Guilty” of the charges I was illegally detained for and released to being “homeless”. I filed to regain custody of my minor children from State Foster Care but the Child Protective Services Agency Attorneys “opposed my request”, stating that I was a “habitual” criminal.  My only criminal conviction has been the 1975 Armed Robbery Conviction the State of Maryland Conclusively Stated I Was INNOCENT o

It is time for Maryland’s Criminal Justice System to fully clear my name and remove all wrongful records that continue to affect my life unjustly. Please sign this petition and help me finally achieve true freedom and justice!