MILWAUKEE -- A Wisconsin man Jailed in the Abu Dhabi desert for nine weeks after bringing his prescribed painkillers into the country without documentation, Matthew “Matty” Gonzales, is finally home.
He returned to the States Friday and played at his own benefit Sunday at the Nomad World Pub on E. Brady St.
During Gonzales' detainment, the “Free Matty” hashtag was developed and it is still something being used to this day. The event at the Nomad was supposed to be a benefit for raising funds to help bring Gonzales home, but now that he’s here, the family is using any monetary gifts collected to help recover the thousands of dollars they spent in legal fees.
“I want people to know that this really isn’t a benefit for me," Gonzales said. "I didn’t have access to the kind of money that is required for the legal fees that I needed, so it’s for everyone who’s done that for me."
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