Two wrongfully imprisoned Houston men who stand to pocket hundreds of thousands — perhaps millions — of dollars from the state may not see their money anytime soon and better be prepared to deal with opportunistic friends and relatives once the cash comes in, according to other exonerated men familiar with the experience.

This is the difficult road Michael Anthony Green, 45, and Allen Wayne Porter, 39, will have to navigate as they rebuild their lives in the outside world after spending years in prison for crimes they didn't commit.

Green and Porter might best protect themselves once they're paid by a change of scenery, said George Rodriguez, 49, of Houston, who was released from prison in 2004 after serving 17 years in prison for a Harris County kidnapping and rape he didn't commit. He's still waiting to collect on a $5 million jury verdict against the city that's tied up in appeals.

"My best advice is just to get out of the hood," Rodriguez said. "Like I told my girl, I don't plan to be here (when the money comes). Everybody knows where I live."

Green and Porter will need to give proof of a full pardon or court order declaring their innocence to claim compensation from the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. They could also pursue civil lawsuits.

In some cases, once an exonerated person gets the money - after taxes, attorney fees and handouts to family and friends - that lump sum can disappear in a hurry.

Green, who spent 27 years behind bars for a rape that DNA evidence later proved he did not commit, stands to collect a $2.16 million lump sum for the years he was wrongfully imprisoned. Porter, who served 19 years for a rape conviction and was freed last month after those who committed the crime testified he was not involved, stands to collect $560,000 since he also spent 12 years of his incarceration serving time for his part in a murder.

Both men also may be eligible for annual six-figure annuity payments from the state comptroller's office for the rest of their lives.

But collecting the money isn't as simple as filling out a form and waiting for the checks to roll in.

Red tape, delays

Ronald Gene Taylor, 50, who was released from prison in 2007 and now lives in Georgia, has been fighting for almost a year to get compensation from the comptroller's office after serving 14 years for a Harris County rape conviction that DNA tests later proved he didn't commit. The problem? Taylor's parole was revoked when he was wrongfully arrested for the rape, his attorneys said - and the law prohibits payment if an inmate served a concurrent sentence for another crime besides the one for which they were exonerated. Taylor's attorneys are now appealing the payment denial to the Texas Supreme Court.

Others have seen their payments stalled or delayed until their attorneys took legal action against the comptroller's office.

The process is complicated, said attorney Kevin Glasheen, who helped draft the legislation allowing compensation for exonerated prisoners.

"The comptroller wants to make sure they're not paying out claims they're not supposed to pay out under the law," Glasheen said. "You've got to remember this is a new statute. Sometimes when they're in doubt, the safest thing for them to do is to deny compensation until they can get more information ... or until some court orders them to pay."

Comptroller's office spokesman R.J. DeSilva said the agency does its best to follow the law.

"There are guidelines and timelines that are outlined in the statute in terms of reviewing these applications, and we strictly follow these," DeSilva said. "We make every effort to get everything done on time."

Still no guarantees

State Sen. Rodney Ellis, one of the Texas legislators who worked to push the compensation act through to become law, said he hopes that any issues causing delays in payment are quickly resolved.

"I, along with the other sponsors of the bill, will work with the comptroller's office to ensure that the intent of the compensation statute is followed and that any ambiguity is clarified," Ellis said.

Even if someone wrongfully imprisoned sues and wins in court, there are no guarantees. Rodriguez won a $5 million jury verdict against the city of Houston in federal court last year but has yet to see a dime. That's because the city is appealing the verdict.

Rodriguez, living in Houston, also has not been able to apply for annual $80,000 annuity payments from the state because the Harris County District Attorney's Office has not signed off on his application for a governor's pardon, which is required for him to receive the money. District Attorney Pat Lykos declined comment for this story because she has a pending meeting with attorney Barry Scheck, co-director of The Innocence Project, to discuss Rodriguez's case.

Today, Rodriguez still cannot get a job because the aggravated sexual assault for which he was exonerated is still on his record. He lives in a small, one-bedroom house in east Houston and supports himself by doing construction, painting and automotive work.

He just got out of the hospital for a staph infection and faces $7,000 in medical bills because he has no health insurance. His car is broken down, and he's behind on his rent. The $5 million he won in court last year is nowhere in sight.

"I'm just trying to make my living the best way I can," Rodriguez said. "I'm just hoping something will happen down the line. I've had patience. I had patience for the 17 years I was locked up."

And when cash comes...

The problems don't end when the money comes. Green and Porter also will have to deal carefully with those seeking handouts or loans, said attorneys and other wrongfully convicted people who have been exonerated.

Green was surrounded by family and friends at his final court hearing last month but had not been visited by anyone at the prison since June 1997, according to Texas Department of Criminal Justice visitation logs. He also confirmed nobody in his family would agree to take him into their homes when he was eligible for parole last October. He now lives with an aunt and will soon start working for his appellate lawyer, Bob Wicoff, as a legal researcher.

Green and Porter should only think of those people who remembered them while they were locked up, said another exonerated man, James Curtis Giles Sr., 56, of Lufkin.

Giles was paid a lump sum of $1.16 million by the state last year once he was exonerated in 2007 of a rape conviction in Dallas County after serving 10 years in prison and 14 1/2 years on parole. He said Green and Porter must be wary of anyone asking for money or loans, even family and friends.

"He don't (need to) become an agent trying to help everybody with the little money that he's going to get because it will be gone before he turns around," Giles said. "A million dollars ain't no money - in five years, he'll be dead broke on the street.

"There's not a whole lot of people that remember you when you were gone for 27½ years - they can probably count that few on their fingers. Everybody is going to be coming," Giles continued.

"Every female in Houston will want you. You've got to tell them no and have no problem with telling them no. You cannot pay their way. The money that these guys get is not anybody's money but theirs."

peggy.ohare@chron.com