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Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has chosen a formerly incarcerated rapper to serve on his City Hall transition team as he prepares to take office in New York City Jan. 1, according to reports.
The controversial selection comes as Mamdani, who won November’s election on a progressive platform, assembles his transition team.
Mamdani’s appointment of Mysonne Linen, 49, was announced in a Nov. 26 Instagram post from Until Freedom, a New York City–based social-justice organization, where Linen is a leader.
Linen is featured in the social media post alongside Tamika Mallory and Angelo Pinto.
“We are proud that Until Freedom leaders have been chosen to serve on Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani’s transition team on committees for public safety and criminal justice respectively,” the post reads.
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“This is a testament to our decades of work advocating on behalf of Black and Brown communities and our expertise in gun violence prevention, legislative advocacy, and criminal justice reform. We are building something different.”
Over the years, Linen has built a public presence as a community activist, frequently posting about anti-violence initiatives and civic engagement, and promoting his involvement with Until Freedom.
According to past reports, Linen, a Bronx native who was once signed to Def Jam, was convicted of two felony robberies in the late 1990s.
In 1999, a Bronx jury is said to have found him guilty in two armed robberies of taxi drivers, per the New York Daily News.
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Prosecutors said Linen was part of a group that robbed cab driver Joseph Exiri on June 8, 1997, striking him with a beer bottle, and later held up cab driver Francisco Monsanto at gunpoint on March 31, 1998, stealing cash and a ring before fleeing.
Both cabbies testified and identified Linen as one of the robbers.
The New York Daily News reported that Linen’s defense argued he had no reason to commit the crimes because he was earning money writing songs for artists such as Lil’ Kim and Mase, and his music was slated to appear on an all-star album featuring LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes, and Q-Tip.
He faced up to 25 years in prison and ultimately served seven years. Linen maintained at the time that he had been falsely accused, per reports.
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The Until Freedom website where Linen holds a leadership post, describes the group as “the definitive non-profit organization for community activism, education, and rapid response to tragedies resulting from injustice.”
It states: “We are not asking for a donation, we are asking for your investment; an investment in a movement worthy of the most marginalized people.” The appeal is followed by several payment options, including Cash App and Venmo.
Mamdani’s decision to place Linen on committees that shape the city’s public-safety vision prompted backlash. The group Jews Fight Back wrote on X:
“Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani just appointed a convicted armed robber to help shape NYC’s crime and policing policy,” calling the move “insane.”
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Linen, reiterating a phrase he has used in recent speeches to crisis-intervention groups, also posted again this week on Instagram,”We are building something different.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Mysonne Linen, Until Freedom and Zohran Mamdani’s office for comment.
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