Newburgh Sting (2014) will piss you off big time Tribeca 2014

Four railroaded men before a the court

The story of the Newburgh Four, four young black men arrested for plotting to set off car bombs in Riverside New York outside a Temple and a Jewish Center. Made to look like they were long time friends they were trotted out before the media as proof of the FBI keeping us safe, the trouble is almost nothing in the government version of events was real.

Truth is stranger than fiction except the in this case the supposed truth is all fiction. The real story as laid out in this film is that a very shadey government informant  whose background is largely a lie blew into Newburgh New York and started talking about jihad. No one at the mosque wanted anything to do with it, but one guy, desperate for money and promised a quarter of a million dollars joined his cause. How, what amounted to dueling con men, ended up becoming a terrorist plot is the story and its a nasty miscarriage of justice.

This HBO documentary is the sort of thing that will have you talking to the screen....no- not talking screaming at the screen. How could anyone knowing the facts believe the government story, more importantly how did these guys get convicted when its clear from watching the government tapes their informant is an asshole and an agent provocateur who pretty much did everything himself? As one of the lawyers points out they more than meet the legal standard for entrapment and then some.

The film is made up of two things, the talking heads of the lawyers and family of the young men and the tapes made during the course of the sting. Watching the tapes you can't seriously believe that these guys ever really intended to blow anyone up especially considering when they placed the bombs they never turned them on.

I'm horrified that this happened and has been allowed to remain in place. Talk about miscarriage of justice.

I don't know what to see say other than see this film. See it and show it to friends and figure out a way to get these poor men out of prison.  This is just wrong.