A man convicted of riot in connection with assaults on women in Central Park after the 2000 Puerto Rican Day Parade has lost his bid in federal court to have the guilty verdict set aside.
Writing for a unanimous panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in Ortiz v. New York State Parole, 07-2299-pr, Judge Debra Ann Livingston rejected Abel Ortiz’s argument that a state court opinion upholding his conviction contained such a novel interpretation of New York’s riot statute that he had been deprived of his due process right to “fair notice” that his conduct might be criminal.
