Jason Puracal (born May 31, 1977) is an American who was wrongly sentenced to serve 22 years in prison in Nicaragua on charges of drug trafficking, money laundering, and organized crime.
[3] Many experts came forward supporting Puracal's innocence including the California Innocence Project,[4] former DEA agent[5] Thomas Cash,[6] former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Irwin Cotler[7] and Freedom Now founder and human rights attorney Jared Genser.
[11] According to taped interviews on the Today show, former DEA Agent Tom Cash believes that there was an astounding lack of evidence presented by the prosecution.
After reviewing the case, he believed no financial relationship was found between Puracal and the other defendants and that the evidence of money laundering was a misunderstanding of what a real estate escrow account is.
Puracal's story has received a significant amount of media attention because of claims of lack of evidence and precedent set by the conviction.
[11] The petition also urged the United Nations to take "urgent action" in the case, citing "physical abuse and the denial of food, water and proper medical care" inside the prison.