EXCLUSIVE
One of the men who was wrongfully convicted as part of the Central Park Five says karma’s a bitch for ex-prosecutor Linda Fairstein, who’s getting crucified on social media in the wake of a new show about the case and its aftermath.
Raymond Santana — who was one of the teenagers arrested, prosecuted and eventually convicted in connection to the brutal 1989 rape and murder of a female jogger — tells TMZ … the online movement to #CancelLindaFairstein and boycott her books is warranted.
Fans have taken to Instagram and other platforms, calling for retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble to remove Fairstein’s book collection from their shelves on the heels of Netflix’s new series, “When They See Us” — which covers the how the case was handled by Fairstein and others, as well as how it impacted Raymond and the rest of the so-called CP5.
He believes Fairstein — who went on to a successful career as a writer of children’s books and other works — is facing her comeuppance right now, which he takes no issue with. In fact, he says it quite bluntly … “Even if it’s 30 years later, she has to pay for her crime.”
Fairstein was one of the lead prosecutors on the case, and she reportedly sealed confessions from the boys at the time under what they described as duress and pressure from police. All five men were later fully exonerated, despite having spent years behind bars.
Raymond also takes a jab at the many reporters and civilians who were quick to label them as criminals before a trial got underway, including Donald Trump … who called for their execution in a newspaper ad that circulated quickly after the murder.
Raymond says he and his brothers are trying to make the most of the renewed attention. He and the others have even helped launch a local T-shirt campaign called “The Brotherhood Tee,” which supports The Innocence Project … of which he’s a strong supporter.