A Brooklyn man who spent more than 15 years in prison after allegedly being railroaded by a rogue prosecutor for the murder of a rabbi is getting $3 million from the state to settle his wrongful conviction lawsuit.

Jabbar Collins’ settlement was approved Thursday by Judge Faviola Soto in the state Court of Claims in lower Manhattan.

Outside court, Collins said the settlement was bittersweet because his mother passed away last July. “I would love for her to be here because she knew this day was coming,” Collins said.

“I wanted what every son wants to see their mom have, to live the rest of her days in peace. She was there for me for 16 years.”

Collins said he plans to attend Bible college and pursue a career in the ministry.

“When I was in prison I would dream that I was home and wake up in prison,” he said.

“Sometimes now I have nightmares and wake up and I think I’m still in prison. I still struggle with that.”

Collins’ federal civil rights lawsuit against the city is still pending and scheduled for trial on Oct. 20.

“Three million dollars is a lot of money, but it is a small fraction of what Jabbar Collins is entitled to for 15 horrendous years in maximum security state prison,” said lawyer Joel Rudin.

Former Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes said late last year that he no longer believe Collins was guilty, even as one of his prosecutors was arguing otherwise.
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Collins was convicted in 1995 of murdering Rabbi Abraham Pollack during a robbery in Williamsburg. With Collins diligently working on his appeals from prison, the conviction unraveled when it was discovered that then-prosecutor Michael Vecchione had allegedly coerced witnesses into falsely testifying and withheld important evidence from the defense at Collins’ trial.

Last December, former Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes made the stunning admission that he no longer believed Collins was guilty of the murder, even as one of his prosecutors and city lawyers insisted otherwise in Brooklyn Federal Court proceedings.

Brooklyn Federal Judge Dora Irizarry, who threw out Collins’ conviction in 2010, called the conduct of prosecutors during the trial and the appeals “shameful.”

Collins was locked up for 16 years following the February 1994 arrest.

He described his ordeal in an op-ed essay published Wednesday in The Daily News.

“My children grew up without me. My beloved grandmothers died without me. I felt humiliated and powerless to help my mother when she was forced to choose between having her prison visit denied or submitting to a strip search by callous guards.

“My dreams for my life were dashed as my youth turned into middle age and I faced the rest of my life in prison.”

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