A man exonerated of murder after spending 23 years in prison had trouble depositing a compensation check in a Chicago bank.
Attorney Kathleen Zellner tells the Chicago Tribune that Darryl Fulton was trying to deposit a check from the state of Illinois for nearly $169,900. The money is compensation for the time he wrongfully spent in prison.
Zellner says a Chase Bank branch initially said she needed to endorse the check because her firm's name was under Fulton's. Fulton's second effort was stymied by where he signed the check. Zellner says she believes Chase refused to deposit the check "because he's a black male."
Chase said in a statement that the bank should have accepted Fulton's check. The bank didn't address Zellner's racism allegation.
Fulton was convicted with another man in 1997 for the rape and murder of Antwinica Bridgeman. Their convictions were vacated in November after DNA testing pointed to another suspect.
