In 2007, Georgia Democratic Senate hopeful, Michelle Nunn appeared on NBC’s the "Today Show" to talk about the Hands On Network and discuss her book Be the Change.
The book, by Nunn’s description, tells the story of "ordinary people that are doing heroic things every single day, making a tremendous difference in the lives of their neighbors and in the lives of their communities."
In the interview, Nunn went on to discuss story number seventy-seven—the story of Shareef Cousin, a man who was wrongly convicted of murder and sentenced to death row.
"He has now rededicated himself … and [is] doing great," Nunn told NBC. "[Cousin] speaks very eloquently in the book about how service is really the key to a meaningful life."
The murder conviction that sent Cousin to death row was overturned in 1998, but what Nunn failed to mention is that Cousin remained in prison until he was released on parole in 2005, because he was serving a twenty-year prison sentence for armed robbery.
Cousin pled guilty to those charges, but later said he did so based on bad advice from his attorney.
In spite of that, Nunn’s organization showcased Cousin as a story of success, but his legal issues did not end there.
Cousin was on parole from the armed robbery conviction when he was arrested in 2008, one year after Nunn’s appearance on the "Today Show," for fraud. According to the Times Picayune, Cousin "admitted in court that he used his boss's Social Security number, birth date, and name to obtain credit cards and used them for a $42,000 spending spree on audio equipment and a paint job for his car."
The identity fraud occurred while Cousin worked as a legal clerk at the Southern Center for Human Rights. The job Nunn appears to reference in her NBC interview as evidence of Cousin’s "rededication" to service.
Despite the change in Cousin’s record, his testimonial remained in a version of Nunn’s book that was released in 2012 to feature "updated stories of service" and was described as "[showcasing] the work of civic leaders and social entrepreneurs."
Nunn co-founded Hands On Atlanta and served as its first executive Director. The group would later merge with President George H.W. Bush’s organization, Points of Light. Nunn then became the CEO and President of Points of Light.
Nunn’s book, Be the Change, was first published in 2006 and re-released in 2012.