Mamdani reveals why he appointed convicted armed robber to NYC transition team

Zohran Mamdani

Mamdani reveals why he appointed convicted armed robber to NYC transition team

Mysonne Linen previously served seven years behind bars in state prison

Greg Norman

Alexis McAdams

Emma Bussey Fox News

Published

December 9, 2025 2:35pm EST

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NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani explains appointment of convicted armed robber to transition team

New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani explains appointment of convicted armed robber Mysonne Linen to transition team.

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New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani said Tuesday that he appointed a convicted armed robber to advise him on the criminal justice system because he wants to take experience and analysis from all New Yorkers into account in order to "build a city for each and every person."

Mysonne Linen, 49, previously served seven years behind bars in state prison for robbery cases dating back to the 1990s. His appointment to Mamdani’s City Hall transition team was announced in a Nov. 26 Instagram post from Until Freedom, a New York City–based social-justice organization, where Linen is a leader.

"We put together a team of more than 400 New Yorkers who are on 17 different committees, and these are New Yorkers who bring with them both a fluency of the policies and politics of the city, the places that they've succeeded, the places that they've failed, and we will take all of their experiences and their analysis into account as we build a city for each and every person," Mamdani said Tuesday when asked by Fox News correspondent Alexis McAdams about the appointment.

According to past reports, Linen, a Bronx native who was once signed to Def Jam, was convicted of two felony robberies.

MAMDANI APPOINTS CONVICTED ARMED ROBBER TO PUBLIC SAFETY TRANSITION TEAM

Mysonne Linen, left, and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images; Udo Salters Photography/Getty Images)

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.

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.

Zohran Mamdani has appointed formerly incarcerated rapper-turned-activist Mysonne Linen, center, to his transition team for public safety and criminal justice committees. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

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Both cabbies testified and identified Linen as one of the robbers.

Zohran Mamdani after his mayoral election victory.

Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani won New York City’s mayoral race in November. (Angela Weiss /AFP via Getty Images)

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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.

Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.

Mamdani reveals why he appointed convicted armed robber to NYC transition team