In the Shadow of Doubt: Was Guy W. Gane, Jr. Falsely Convicted? (An Interview)
How does someone spend years in prison for a crime they may never have committed? We recently asked Guy W. Gane, Jr. that question. “By the grace of God,” answered Gane.
Although Gane has been reluctant to discuss his case out of fear of a notoriously vengeful government, we wanted to know how a person, especially someone as well known and respected as Gane was, was able to mentally adjust to being incarcerated.
“Every day was a challenge. Every day brought a new heartbreak,” he shared.
In 2008, Gane, a successful stockbroker with multiple offices nationwide, was accused of Money Laundering and Mail Fraud. Despite his repeated denials, as well as passing multiple Polygraph tests, he was eventually indicted a few years later. After learning the consequences of standing up to the U.S. Judicial System, Gane accepted a plea deal, eventually being handed a 13-year prison sentence.
“When I was first accused, the local mainstream media splashed the accusations across TV screens and the newspapers. Watching my reputation get torn apart was heartbreaking. It just seemed so unfair that they (the media) ran with the government’s version of events. One local reporter did visit me at my office early on for my response but, like every accused person, I was not able to respond. That old line “What you say can and will be used against you” is not just a cute phrase. It is true. As this reporter turned to leave, I naively asked, “What are you going to write?” His answer, as he walked away and looked back over his shoulder – “You won’t want to put it into your scrap book!” The following week, when I read the article, I realized he had been right. After the eighth article appeared over the years, I stopped counting. I have always been puzzled though. How come most people doubt many, if not most of the things the government says or does, yet when it comes to their accusing someone of a crime, everyone seems to immediately believe them?”
Why would anyone plead guilty to a crime if they honestly believed they were innocent? We put this question to Gane. “Today, in my opinion, the most powerful person in the United States is the prosecutor,” answered Gane. “The statistics bear this fact out. In 2018 for example, there were 80,000 indictments handed down to those accused. Of those, 1,600 opted to go to trial. Out of those 1,600 defendants 16 were acquitted! 16 out of 80,000 people! The US Attorneys have a 99% conviction rate. I just couldn’t wrap my head around those long odds.”
While it is accepted that 3-5% of those in prison are in fact, not guilty, there are reports that move that figure to 15-20% of falsely accused Americans languishing in prison.
“I was not about to allow myself to become bitter. I decided to take control of the only thing I could control – my mind.” Gane told us. “I wrote books, I counseled inmates, I taught classes and I put together a mentorship program to help those about to enter prison as well as their families. Prisoncology has partnered with the Christian Community nationwide and is now at the forefront of prison reform.”
Gane, now long out of prison, related to us the words of U.S. Senator James Webb: “Let’s start with a premise that I don’t think a lot of Americans are aware of. We have 5% of the world’s population; we have 25% of the world’s known prison population. We have an incarceration rate in the United States, the world’s greatest democracy, that is five times as high as the average incarceration rate of the rest of the world. There are only two possibilities here: either we have the most evil people on earth living in the United States; or we are doing something dramatically wrong…”
