#174 Lynn Espejo Wrongfully Convicted & Sentenced to 45 Months in Fed Prison... Recorded 6/7/21

Nowhere To Go But Up

In this episode I am talking to Lynn Espejo who was suggested that I have her on my show to tell her story. Lynn was sentenced to 45 months in federal prison. Here is a little bit about Lynn: Lynn Espejo lives in Sherwood, Arkansas. She is a wife, mother to three grown sons and a very old and spoiled French bulldog. Lynn has a BBA in Accounting and a BBA in Finance and an MS in Clinical & Mental Health Counseling. She spent many years working in the corporate business world and has owned her own small business. Lynn is a Christ follower. She also volunteers her time working with food pantries, the homeless, and those less fortunate. She and her husband, Pancho, volunteer their time helping with their church’s Share Your Lunch program. SYL, since its inception in 2017, has provided over 23,000 bags of groceries to individuals and families, as well as weekend backpacks of food to elementary age children, in partnership with local schools in the Central Arkansas area. Lynn was indicted in the Eastern District of Arkansas on March 2, 2011, however, that indictment was dismissed in May 2012. She was indicted on the same charges on October 8, 2014, after she refused to give up claim to monies seized by the federal government during her 2011 indictment, and dared to complain all the way to Washington, D.C., regarding the corruption and prosecutorial misconduct she experienced from staff at the US Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Arkansas and an Agent at the Internal Revenue Service. She was convicted on February 8, 2017, after an eight-day jury trial, and was sentenced to 45-months in federal prison, of which she served 27 months, before being released to home confinement during COVID-19. Her blog, Inside-The-Walls, started out as a way for her to vent her frustration at being indicted and convicted for a crime she did not commit, and what she saw as a broken criminal justice system. However, it soon became a voice against the corruption, fraud, and violation of inmate rights she witnessed while incarcerated at Federal Prison Camp Bryan located in Bryan, Texas. Many times, Lynn was subjected to retaliation by BOP staff for continuing to blog while incarcerated. During her incarceration, Lynn taught classes to other inmates, including classes on women’s value, worth, and self-esteem. She also volunteer tutored inmates with their college business classes, worked as a clerk in the Reentry Department, and took Cosmetology classes. She gained recognition from other inmates for her knowledge of BOP Program Statements, which allowed her to help many women fight false incident reports and retaliation by BOP staff. During COVID-19, Lynn spent almost 100 days in solitary confinement, and was quarantined in the Men’s Maximum-Security Special Housing Unit (SHU) at the Federal Transfer Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma before being released to home confinement under the Cares Act. Lynn continues to advocate for inmates and their rights, and wishes to help all women realize their value and worth. She wants to bring awareness to, and expose the corruption, that is our country’s criminal justice system. Lynn’s radio show Inside-The-Walls & Beyond focuses on women’s issues as they journey through the criminal “injustice” system. You can find Lynn here: Website YouTube Video: Our Conversation You Can find Sean here: All my links