Isaac Wright Jr.

Isaac Wright, Jr. is an American lawyer, entrepreneur and philanthropist best known for being wrongfully accused, convicted, and sentenced to Life in prison as a Drug Kingpin.

Born the third child of six children, Isaac was raised in a military family. Growing up in many different parts of the world gave him a multi-cultural perspective on life and set the stage for a successful career in business and entertainment as a young adult. Anchored by a wife (a successful entertainer in her own right), a daughter and a blossoming career, Isaac was on top of the word. In an instant, however, it was all lost when Isaac was falsely accused and convicted of being a drug kingpin and mastermind behind one of the largest drug distribution networks in the New York, New Jersey metropolitan areas. In 1991, Isaac was sentenced to Life in prison on the kingpin conviction plus a total of 72 years in prison on other drug convictions.

Representing himself at trial and on appeal, Isaac embarked on the single most onerous and prolific challenge of his life—escaping a destiny of spending the rest of his life in prison. After seven years in prison and helping countless others obtain release from prison and reduced sentences, Isaac prevailed. In 1996, during an evidentiary hearing, Isaac’s cross-examination forced a veteran detective, James Dugan, to break the code of silence and confess to the corruption that resulted in Isaac’s false arrest and wrongful conviction. Dugan pled guilty to misconduct in order to escape going to prison. Revelations of corruption resulted in Isaac’s trial judge, Michael Imbriani, being removed from the bench and sent to prison. Isaac’s prosecutor, Nicholas L. Bissell, Jr., facing prison himself, went on the run and ultimately committed suicide when tracked down by federal authorities. In December of 1996, Isaac was released from prison and all charges against him dropped with the case against him ultimately dismissed.

Now a free man, Isaac returned to the world with nothing—only the love and support of his young daughter remained as a remnant of the family he once headed. Starting all over, he quickly began to rekindle old business relationships and form new ones all over the world. Simultaneously, he pursued a law degree, getting his bachelor’s degree in 2002 and entering Saint Thomas University School of Law in 2004. Isaac graduated with a doctorate degree in law in 2007 and passed the New Jersey Bar the following year. His expectations for a successful career in law was delayed when the New Jersey Bar’s Committee on Character held up his bar admission for over 9 years while they investigated him.

Fortunately, during his educational pursuits, Isaac started a government procurement consulting firm advocating contract work and employment for women, minorities, and marginalized communities within the New York City Housing Authority. While waiting years to be licensed, this advocacy eventually grew into an international endeavor. Before long, Isaac was advocating causes and raising capital for project owners, governments, and even tribal communities the world. His work has taken him to almost every continent, including Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South America, and Central America.

Finally, on September 26, 2017, the New Jersey Supreme Court Ordered Isaac’s admission to the bar. Three days later he was sworn in as an attorney, making history again by being the first and only person in American history to be sentenced to life in prison as a drug kingpin, gain his own release and be admitted to practice law in the same court that sent him to prison. Isaac struck again when, in less than a year of practicing, his legal brief prevailed on appeal against the State of New Jersey. Only a few months later, in his very first criminal trial as a practicing attorney, he went up against the United States of America and secured an acquittal on all counts of Hobbs Act Robbery in the case of United States of America v. Jason Thompson, Case No. 17-094 (DNJ). Isaac secured an acquittal in the face of a confession from his client, including video surveillance and eyewitness testimony.

Isaac continues to make entrepreneurial strides in the world of business and is also now one of the most sought after attorneys in the Country in the area criminal and civil litigation as well as transactional law. He is known to have said: “I went to law school for one reason and one reason only… To slay Giants for a price. And if the Giant is big enough and the cause is important enough, I’ll do it for free, especially when it involves helping those who cannot help themselves.”

Isaac is currently an Executive Producer, alongside Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and Sony Entertainment Television, of the new hit TV Series airing on ABC, inspired by his life, entitled “For Life.” A book on his life is scheduled to be released in the fall of 2021.

On December 1, 2020, Isaac announced his candidacy for Mayor of the City of New York. The election will be held in November 2021.