New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has selected a former convict who served seven years in state prison for armed robbery to serve as an adviser on criminal justice matters, according to information obtained by the New York Post.
Mysonne Linen, age 49, completed a prison term for two felony robbery convictions from the late 1990s.
The Bronx resident has since become an activist and was appointed by Mamdani to serve on the mayoral transition’s criminal justice committee.
Linen publicly celebrated the appointment on social media last month.
“This is a testament to our decades of work advocating on behalf of black and brown communities and our expertise in gun violence prevention, legislative advocacy and criminal justice reform,” he stated on Instagram.
“We are building something different.”
The appointee’s criminal history dates back to 1999 when he was convicted for participating in two separate taxi driver robberies in the Bronx.
At the time, Linen was pursuing a career as a rapper and had a debut album scheduled for release through Def Jam Recordings, the New York Daily News previously reported.
According to Bronx prosecutors, Linen’s crew carried out an armed robbery of taxi driver Joseph Eziri on June 8, 1997.
Nearly a year later, on March 31, 1998, the group committed another armed theft, this time targeting cabbie Francisco Monsanto at gunpoint.
State Department of Correction and Community Renewal records indicate Linen received a sentence ranging from seven to 14 years.
He was released on parole on July 5, 2006, after serving his minimum term.
The convicted felon had potentially faced up to 25 years in prison.
Following his release from state custody, Linen maintained his innocence regarding the robberies and shifted his focus toward community activism.
He dedicated years to working as what he described as a violence interrupter in community settings.
Linen established Rising Kings, a nonprofit organization that provides educational programming to inmates housed at Rikers Island.
This venture marked his entry into working within the criminal justice system he once moved through as an offender.
The former convict also collaborated with Linda Sarsour, an anti-Israel activist who also serves as an adviser to Mamdani.
Together, they founded Until Freedom, which operates as a social justice activism organization.
Mamdani’s decision to place Linen on the 20-member criminal justice committee has drawn sharp criticism from law enforcement organizations and officials.
The committee will provide recommendations to the incoming mayor on policies affecting the city’s criminal justice system.
Benny Boscio, who serves as president of the Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association, condemned the appointment.
“It is both disheartening and deeply disturbing that individuals who are convicted felons and have a history of breaking the law are being given the opportunity to help shape the future of New York’s criminal justice system,” Boscio told the Post..
“The men and women who risk their lives every day to enforce the law have been shut out from this process entirely.”
John Chell, who recently retired as NYPD Chief of Department, characterized Linen’s selection as consistent with other controversial appointments made by the democratic socialist mayor-elect.
“It’s just another appointed adviser that has a questionable past, which is in line with some of his other recent appointees who were anti-police and establishment,” Chell remarked.
“The optics and reality here point to a potential erosion of public safety in New York City.”
Linen is not the only questionable selection on the criminal justice committee.
Vincent Schiraldi, former head of the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, was also appointed despite resigning under pressure amid allegations of inadequate oversight and contract mismanagement at that agency.
Administrative errors plagued the official announcement of transition committee members.
Mamdani’s team misspelled both Linen’s name and that of Lumumba Bandele, another controversial appointee serving on the Community Organizing committee.
Bandele leads the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement and has previously supported individuals convicted of killing police officers, including Assata Shakur and Herman Bell, Resist the Mainstream reported.
The transition team consists of approximately 400 staffers spread across 17 committees. Additional controversial selections include members of the New York City Democratic Socialists of America, particularly co-chairs Gustavo Gordillo and Grace Mausser.
Gordillo received an appointment to the economic development and workforce development committee, while Mausser was assigned to the small business committee.
The appointments have sparked concern among various groups as Mamdani, a former state lawmaker from Queens known for his anti-police and anti-Israel positions during the campaign, prepares to assume the mayoralty next month.
Jews Fight Back posted criticism on social media platform X, stating: “Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani just appointed a convicted armed robber to help shape NYC’s crime and policing policy.”
The organization added: “Insane. New York City is being handed over to radicals, extremists and outright terrorists. Watch this space. This is going to get even uglier.”
The social media post included an image showing Linen alongside Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.
