NEW YORK (PIX 11) - Man Falsely Incarcerated For 18 Years Files Suit

A New York man announced Wednesday that he is suing the city for $30 million after being incarcerated 18 years for a homicide he didn't commit.

Speaking at a Manhattan news conference Wednesday, Fernando Bermudez, now 41, told reporters, “It's been a very long, bitter struggle in which at times I lost hope.”

Bermudez had been falsely accused of murder after a 1991 fight outside of the Marc Ballroom in Union Square resulted in a teenager being shot and killed.  Bermudez was convicted and sentenced to 23 years to life.

New York State Supreme Court Justice John Cataldo overturned the ruling in November of 2009 after finding misconduct in his trial.  Since he was freed, Bermudez says he has suffered severe culture shock and has been unable to overcome the emotional trauma of his encarceration.

At today’s news conference Bermudez’ attorney Michaeal Lamonsoff told reporters, “This wrongful conviction was predicated upon perjury, predicated upon manipulation, and was predicated upon coercion and deceit of the New York County District Attorney's Office and the New York City Police Department.”

Bermudez added, “As early as 1992 evidence surfaced that there was another person responsible for this crime.”

Now Fernando Bermudez is suing the city of New York.

He's accusing the New York County District Attorney's Office and NYPD of willful and intentional misconduct that wound up sending him to maximum security prison for 18 years for a murder he did not commit.

Attorney Lamonsoff said, “During those same 18 years the New York County District Attorney's office disregarded and ignored clear and convincing evidence of his innocence.”

Bermudez told reporters “What kept me going was essentially the fact that I knew I was innocent and that I had to stay strong,” adding, “What happened to me should not happen to anyone.”

When asked if she harbored any bitterness over her husband’s almost twenty-year ordeal, Bermudez’s wife Crystal told PIX 11 News, “I don't have time to be bitter. I'm a religious person who loves life, and I have to raise my children, and you can't raise children properly when you're bitter.”

Neither the New York County District Attorney’s office nor the NYPD was available for comment.