After serving 19 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted of attempted murder, a man has been awarded more than $1.6 million in compensation from the state of Maryland.
The Board of Public Works voted unanimously Wednesday to approve funding for Melvin Thomas, now 40, who spent close to half his life in prison and was exonerated in December for an attempted murder charge dating to 2001.
The money will be paid over a period of seven years, and within 30 days, Thomas will receive his first payment of $84,805.
Almost $11,000 of the total sum of money awarded will go toward mental health and financial counseling for Thomas.
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