MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A man who spent nearly 21 years in prison after he was wrongfully convicted of a robbery at a Beale Street club has filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Memphis and several police department employees, claiming they framed him. Artis Whitehead was sentenced to 249 years in prison after he was convicted in a May 2002 robbery at B.B. King's Blues Club. His sentence was ultimately vacated and he walked free in December 2023. Man wrongfully convicted of robbery on Beale freed after 21 years behind bars In a 46-page lawsuit filed in the District Court on Thursday, Whitehead alleges he was set up by police investigators who were desperate to pin the crime on a suspect under mounting public pressure, eight months after it happened. Whitehead claims officers coerced and paid a man to call in a false Crimestoppers tip implicating him in the crime. They then allegedly suggested that witnesses identify Whitehead as the perpetrator. No physical evidence linked him to the crime, his supporters said. Victims, who were tied up during the robbery, described the suspect as around 5-foot-6, 150 pounds, while Whitehead was 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, the lawsuit states. The lawsuit outlines 13 allegations, including several Constitutional violations. Whitehead was exonerated after lawyers with the Tennessee Innocence Project fought for a new trial. WREG has reached out to a representative for the City of Memphis for a response to the allegations. We are also reaching out to Whitehead and the Tennessee Innocence Project for information.