REPORT: Socialist mayor-elect taps armed robbery felon for public safety role

December 8, 2025

From Fox News: Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has chosen a formerly incarcerated rapper to serve on his City Hall transition team as he prepares to take office in New York City Jan. 1, according to reports.

The controversial selection comes as Mamdani, who won November’s election on a progressive platform, assembles his transition team.

Mamdani’s appointment of Mysonne Linen, 49, was announced in a Nov. 26 Instagram post from Until Freedom, a New York City–based social-justice organization, where Linen is a leader.

Linen is featured in the social media post alongside Tamika Mallory and Angelo Pinto.

The report explains that Linen was convicted of two felony robberies in the late 1990s:

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.

Linen ended up serving 7 years in prison for his involvement in the two robberies.

“We are proud that Until Freedom leaders have been chosen to serve on Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani’s transition team on committees for public safety and criminal justice respectively. This is a testament to our decades of work advocating on behalf of Black and Brown communities and our expertise in gun violence prevention, legislative advocacy and criminal justice reform. We are building something different,” the announcement reads.

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A post shared by Until Freedom (@untilfreedom)

Linen also announced his new position in a separate Istagram post:

“According to reports, NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has selected rapper and activist Mysonne Linen, 49, to advise him on the criminal justice system as part of his transition team. Linen was appointed to serve on Mamdani’s “criminal legal system” committee — one of several choices drawing attention.”