He Freed an Innocent Man From Prison. It Ruined His Life.

The New York Times, May 22, 2023: He Freed an Innocent Man From Prison. It Ruined His Life.

“…The Tankleff case had briefly put Mr. Salpeter, a son of Bayside, Queens, on the low rungs of celebrity. He was a guest on ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show,’ ‘Dr. Phil’ and ‘Nancy Grace.’ He and Mr. Tankleff formed an investigative firm, Fortress Innocence Group, and introduced it at a splashy Manhattan news conference. Later came financial distress, mental health problems, heavy drinking and claims of impropriety lodged by angry clients.

“Now, accused of threatening to harm Mr. Tankleff and ruin his reputation, Mr. Salpeter was facing the prospect of years in prison.

“Mr. Salpeter, 71, had once said that, except for when his children were born, the day Mr. Tankleff left prison was the best day of his life. But by the time of his arraignment in May 2021, he regretted ever having opened Mr. Tankleff’s urgent letter seeking his help all those years ago.

“‘I never had these problems before Marty,’ he said in one of several interviews over the past two years.”

Additional reading:

The Marshall Project, Updated May 22, 2023: Martin Tankleff