Durante Legal Defense & Advocacy inspired by Wrongful Conviction of Charlotte G. Durante



Charlotte Gilmore Durante of Delray Beach, Florida has inspired the Durante Legal Defense & Advocacy to help the Wrongfully Convicted.  In 1978, Charlotte G. Durante was elected the first African American woman Commissioner of the City of Delray Beach, Florida. She also established the first black-owned realty and insurance agency in Southern Palm Beach County, Florida

Durante Legal Defense & Advocacy

Inspired by the wrongful conviction

of Charlotte Gilmore Durante

In 2010 Charlotte G. Durante was arrested and falsely accused of an alleged white collar crime. On April 15, 2013 Charlotte G. Durante was wrongfully convicted in Palm Beach County, Florida. She was levied a deliberately excessive bail of $503,000 with rare and strict requirements thus she has remained in jail for more than 3 years although she is a community servant with no prior criminal record.  In 1978 she was elected City Commissioner in Delray Beach, Florida and became the first African American woman elected in Delray Beach. During the trial and closing arguments, the Prosecution Team focused on a false allegation that during Charlotte G. Durante’s arrest on May 26, 2010 and while her hands were handcuff from behind, she allegedly grabbed the gun of the arresting Delray Beach Police Detective who was walking directly in front of Charlotte G. Durante while another police officer was holding Durante’s right arm because Durante has balance problems.  This was the Prosecution Teams sole focus during the closing arguments for the trial although Charlotte G. Durante was never arrested for neither charged with grabbing the arresting police officer’s gun. The trial consisted of 5,000 pages of evidence but the jury only deliberated for 12 minutes and rendered a guilty verdict.  An injustice has been served against Charlotte G. Durante who is now suffering from a brain tumor that can cause sudden blindness along with pain from other health ailments. She is facing 30 years in prison because of the wrongful conviction. Pleas are being made to the court for Time Served and the current presiding attorney for Durante submitted a Motion for a New Trial. Click here for Motion for New Trial.  For more information, Visit CharlotteDurante.org. 

E-mail: cgdurante@aol.com or innocent@charlottedurante.org

 

Mission & Purpose of the Durante Legal Defense & Advocacy:

·         Durante Legal Defense & Advocacy is not a law firm but a volunteer advocacy group that consults with lawyers and other legal professionals.

·         This organization will review, consider and discerningly select cases of the falsely accused and wrongfully convicted where evidence clearly supports innocence.

·         Help to advocate for innocent people who are falsely accused and wrongfully convicted thus denied the justice that is afforded to them as human beings and by the US Constitution

·         Help to increase awareness about cases where innocent people are falsely accused and wrongfully convicted thus denied the justice that is afforded to them as human beings and by the US Constitution.

·        Help to provide resource information for innocent people who are falsely accused and wrongfully convicted thus denied the justice that is afforded to them as human beings and by the US Constitution.

·         Help to advocate for reasonable bails where innocent people have been falsely accused and arrested and levied with deliberately excessive bails.

·         Will also coordinate prayer circles for innocent people who have been falsely accused and wrongfully convicted.

·         Encourage minorities to apply for Judge Appointments in Palm Beach County, Florida.

·         Encourage minority representation and representation of people on different income levels to serve on the local committee that nominates Judges for Palm Beach County.

·         Encourage the Governor of Florida to consider more minorities for Judge appointments in Palm Beach County, Florida

·         Encourage more judicial elections in Palm Beach County because most Judges serve unopposed.

·         Encourage minorities to run for the elected position of State Attorney-Palm Beach County

According to the National Center on Wrongful Convictions at the Bluhm Legal Clinic at Northwestern University Law School, some of the causes of wrongful convictions include False & Misleading Evidence; Perjury from Witnesses against the Defendant; Inadequate Legal Representation for the Defense (the accused) and Official Misconduct of the Prosecutors, Police Detectives and Other Governmental Officials. Click here for the Center on Wrongful Convuctions

Durante Legal Defense & Advocacy is registered with the IRS and the State of Florida.

 

Click here for Charlotte G. Durante's Bio