It’s hard to imagine a more nightmarish situation that being accused of a crime when you know you’re innocent.   Add to that, the FBI says they’ve got forensic evidence proving you guilty.

Portland Oregon resident Brandon Mayfield had this experience. And he was accused of being involved with the Madrid train bombings that killed 191 people in 2004.  The FBI later had to apologize and pay over $2 million.

Mayfield also faced the daunting prospect of proving his innocence against the secret evidence.

His attorney was Steven Wax.  Wax is the Federal Public Defender for the District of Oregon.  He’s currently represents seven men official classified “enemy combatants” at Guantanamo. A new book describes his experiences defending his clients.  It’s called Kafka Comes to America: Fighting for Justice in the War on Terror.

Steven Wax told Jerome about his client Brandon Mayfield.