Trial Magazine

Alexandre Ansari was convicted of the first-degree murder of a teenager and of assault with intent to commit murder in the shootings of two others. The conviction was based on one of the victim’s identification of her assailant as a 300-pound Black man and on the other victim’s identification of Ansari in a photo array.

After years of unsuccessful appeals, an investigation revealed that the lead detective in the case, Moises Jimenez, had allegedly withheld FBI reports, phone records, and vehicle tracking evidence allegedly implicating a reputed drug dealer in the crimes. A prosecutor later agreed to a full and complete exoneration of Ansari after concluding he was factually innocent. By the time of his release, Ansari had spent more than six years behind bars.

He sued Jimenez, alleging the detective had violated his Fourteenth Amendment due process rights.

The jury awarded $10 million.

Citation: Ansari v. Jimenez, No. 20-10719 (E.D. Mich. Feb. 16, 2024).

Plaintiff counsel: AAJ member Wolfgang Mueller and John W. Martin Jr., both of Novi, Mich.