Man Who Claims He Was Wrongfully Convicted Of Rape To Face Judge
LONG BEACH (CBS) — A former Long Beach Polytechnic High School football star is expected to stand before a judge Thursday and ask that his rape conviction be overturned.
Brian Banks was 16 years old when he was arrested and charged with rape. In 2003, he was convicted and sentenced to six years in state prison but had always maintained his innocence.
Years later, in two videotaped conversations, the alleged victim repeatedly said the rape never happened. She also said she received money from a lawsuit her mother filed against the Long Beach School District.
She later told CBS2 she lied in that interview and that the rape did happen.
Then several weeks ago, she and Banks met with D.A. investigators, a meeting Banks said he felt good about.
Now 26, Banks is trying to keep his NFL dreams alive and spends much of his time at the gym. But he says the GPS ankle bracelet that identifies him as a sex offender continues to hold him down.
"I lift weights every day. This is the heaviest weight I've ever lifted in my life. The pain and the humiliation and all the stigmas that come with it, they never fade," he said.
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