John —

In 1982, I was wrongly arrested in Florida for attempted sexual assault and burglary. Even though I did not match the description of the attacker and no DNA evidence connected me to the crime, I was still convicted. Watch how I ran my way to freedom.

I spent 23 years wrongly convicted before finally being freed and exonerated by DNA evidence in 2006. Since walking out of that prison, I’ve been trying to rebuild my life, but it hasn’t been easy.

Right now, I’m living on a boat and selling coconuts in Miami to get by. I’m unable to work full-time because I live with post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from my incarceration. Currently, I live on $783 per month.

It’s a hard life, and I’m happy to at least be free, but I could use your help changing Florida’s restrictive law that keeps me and many other exonerees in this state from being compensated.

Learn more about my story by watching my video, and then share it on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Despite it all, I still have hope for the future. My dream is to open a gym to give youth whose families are experiencing poverty a chance to become boxers and athletes in Miami. And if we can change Florida’s compensation law, that dream could become a reality.

But no matter what happens, I will keep going because I am a survivor and I will never put my head down or give up.

Thank you so much,

Orlando Boquete
Exonerated in 2006

P.S. You can support my personal fundraiser by donating here.