Albany is facing three lawsuits for wrongfully convicting city residents. Local leaders said the suits pose a risk to the city's balance sheets in the midst of a budget crunch.
Corey Young is suing the city for $80 million after he spent nearly 30 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit.
Court records show Young was convicted for a robbery involving a shootout with police based on false statements from three witnesses. He was convicted even though his blood samples didn't match the blood left at the scene.
Young was released from prison after his conviction was overturned in April. He's also suing former detectives involved in the case.
Meghan Keegan, who chairs the Albany Common Council's Finance Committee, said other convictions secured by one of the former officers named in Young's lawsuit could be overturned as well, resulting in more financial stress for the city.
"From a human perspective, it is the right thing to do," Keegan said. "I think that there's a clear civil rights issue there. From a perspective of the finance chair, given the city's current precarious fiscal condition, it is certainly something that keeps me up at night."
Albany is facing a $22 million budget gap for 2026.
