Organized by Christina Borizov

My son, Johnny Borizov, is currently serving consecutive life sentences at Stateville Prison for crimes that he did not commit. After fighting for his freedom for over ten years, I have exhausted my life’s savings and am in need of financial support to cover legal fees, commissary, travel costs, and other expenses related to his continued imprisonment.

Every donation helps. I appreciate whatever you can give.

Johnny’s Story

Leading up to and during the ten years Johnny has spent incarcerated, he has been denied access to legal representation (a violation of constitutional rights), and he was repeatedly baited by inmates and IDOC staff to act violently in order to make his argument for innocence more difficult. Prosecutors manipulated Jacob Nodarse (the man who pled guilty to committing the crimes Johnny is serving time for) with threats of the death penalty and offers of leniency if he testified against Johnny. Although Johnny had an irrefutable alibi for the night and time that the crimes took place, he was taken in for questioning and never returned home.

Johnny has seventeen different health challenges (including severe diabetes, kidney disease, and congestive heart failure) , many of which go untreated by the Stateville staff. He has 31 different recommended medications, many of which are crucial but not being provided on a regular basis. During a diabetes-related shock seizure, Johnny was violently and sexually abused by IDOC nursing staff. Complaints were filed by Johnny, his cellmate, and other IDOC medical staff present during the assault, and no course of action has been taken by the IDOC administration.

Due to his numerous health conditions and the extremely fast spread of COVID-19 in the prison population, he is at an extremely high-risk for contracting the virus. His attorney, along with many others have petitioned the Governor’s office for a commutation of the sentence via the compassionate release option of executive clemency.