New York, NY - Congressman Charles B. Rangel released the following statement after the Nicaraguan government released American prisoner, Jason Puracal, who was wrongly sentenced to serve 22 years in prison in Nicaragua on charges of drug trafficking, money laundering, and organized crime:

"I cannot tell you how happy I am that Jason Puracal and his family are reunited after he spent almost two years in a Nicaraguan prison on trumped up drug charges. Jason and his family's commitment to seeing each other again serves as an example of the lengths we are willing to go for the ones we love.

Jason first went to Nicaragua as a Peace Corps volunteer 10 years ago, fell in love with the country and made it his home. He married one of the locals, they had a son and he had a successful real estate business before it was all taken away when authorities accused him of money laundering.

Many people took up the cause to prove Jason's innocence with his sister Janis being at the forefront.  She, the California Innocence Project, State Department, my colleague Rep. Adam Smith and many others should be commended for putting pressure on the Nicaraguan government to review this case.     

We can learn so many lessons from this story. Jason's heart and desire to serve is what first led him to Nicaragua. When things were looking bad, he and his family never lost hope. When he finally got out of prison, he noted that innocent people get imprisoned all over the world, even in the United States.

The best way we can welcome Jason back home is by making sure our justice system is not imprisoning innocent men and women and keeping families apart."