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Legal professional Shaian Mohammadi works with the Law Offices of Rafael Urena & Curtis Morrison, where he prepares motions and performs research, amongst other duties. A passionate supporter of immigrants, women, and minority groups, Shaian Mohammadi has worked with community groups and interned with nonprofits like the California Innocence Project to give a voice to those who were wrongfully convicted, and he is working to start a nonprofit of his own. Mohammadi also did his post-bar fellowship with #cut50, advocating for criminal justice reforms.
The California Innocence Project is a nonprofit organization dedicated to freeing innocent people from prison. To date, the group has freed 28 men and women serving prison sentences for crimes they did not commit. One of its most famous stories is that of Brian Banks, a 17-year-old rising football star with aspirations of playing in the NFL who was accused and found guilty of rape. Almost ten years later, his accuser (Wanetta Gibson) recanted her statements, admitting that she made up the entire story. Upon the presentation of this evidence to the Los Angeles Superior Court, Brian’s conviction was reversed.
A film about Brian Banks’ experiences with the justice system and his wrongful conviction, titled Brian Banks, was premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival in September 2018. Starring Aldis Hodge and Greg Kinnear, it subsequently received a number of positive reviews and was the subject of articles in Sports Illustrated and Deadline. On August 9, 2019, the film was released in nearly 600 theaters across the United States. Brian Banks continues to advocate for the reversal of wrongful convictions and appears in speaking engagements across the country.
In order for a case to be accepted by the California Innocence Project, the inmate must submit a Case Screening Application with supporting documents so that it can be reviewed. Currently, only cases where a conviction occurred in the southern California counties of Imperial, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, or Ventura will be accepted.
