The NYPD is there to serve and protect but sometimes they get things wrong. Like in the case of Raven Moses, a 30-year old woman from the Bronx who was the victim of a hit and run accident but somehow ended up spending three days in jail years after she had already served time for the same minor crime committed in 2009. The NYPD has some explaining to do on this one and is now facing a $3 million false arrest lawsuit because of what appears to be some sort of computer glitch or clerical error.
Moses was driving on the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge on May 25th when her vehicle was struck by another. The other driver fled the scene while Moses stayed behind and called the police for assistance. When an NYPD officer arrived, he ran “Moses” name through his computer and an active warrant from a 2009 fraud case popped up. Moses was arrested and spent three days in jail over the Memorial Day Weekend before she could not convince someone that a major error had occurred because Moses had pleaded guilty to the fraud charges in 2009 and had already spent a year in prison as punishment.
It turns out that the “active” warrant still in the NYPD computer system was some sort of clerical error and shouldn’t have been there. To make matters worse, Moses says she told police that she was the victim of a false arrest but NYPD representatives allegedly told her that there wasn’t anything they could do to confirm her story over the holiday weekend. Moses was forced to spend three days and two nights in Riker’s Island.
Moses said in a statement that she’s now terrified of the police and can’t understand how she could be so harshly penalized for doing the right thing by reporting a hit and run accident. Even after it had become clear that Moses was being held for a crime that she had already paid the price for, an NYPD officer claimed that the warrant was still active and she had to stay in jail.
Moses now carries a certificate of disposition of the criminal case on her at all times – paperwork proving that she has served the sentence that the court handed down.
False arrest comes in many forms. As this case demonstrates, something as simple as a clerical error or a computer mix-up could leave you or a loved one with a blemished criminal record. If you have been the victim of such a misunderstanding, contact a New York City false arrest attorney to discuss the best course of action immediately. Call the Law Offices of Nussin S. Fogel for a free consultation at or 212-385-1122 to learn your rights.