White House announces clemency for nearly 1,500 people
President Joe Biden commuted sentences for nearly 1,500 people and pardoned 39 convicted of non-violent crimes.
President Joe Biden is commuting the sentences of nearly 1,500 people and pardoning 39 others in “the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history,” the White House announced Thursday.
The amnesty will be extended to roughly 1,500 people who were placed on home confinement during the COVID pandemic and 39 others who were convicted of nonviolent crimes, especially drug crimes, who have “shown successful rehabilitation,” according to a White House press release.
Biden said in the statement he would “take more steps in the weeks ahead” and continue to review clemency petitions to advance “equal justice under the law, promote public safety, support rehabilitation and reentry, and provide meaningful second chances.”
The White House said the pardoned individuals include a decorated military veteran, a nurse who helped spearhead vaccination efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic and an addiction counselor who volunteers to help young people.
The actions come less than two weeks after Biden pardoned his son, Hunter, for gun and tax felonies, igniting bipartisan backlash.
Who are the 39 people Biden pardoned?
Here are the 39 people who received pardons, with names, ages and locations provided in a White House press release:
- Nina Simona Allen, 49, of Harvest, Alabama
- Kelsie Lynn Becklin, 38, of Falcon Heights, Minnesota
- Duran Arthur Brown, 44, of Cleveland, Ohio
- Norman O’Neal Brown, 56, of Washington, DC
- Arthur Lawrence Byrd, 58, of Clinton, Maryland
- Sarah Jean Carlson, 49, of Coon Rapids, Minnesota
- Brandon Sergio Castroflay, 49, of Alexandria, Virginia
- Rosetta Jean Davis, 60, of Colville, Washington
- Stevoni Wells Doyle, 47, of Santaquin, Utah
- Gregory S. Ekman, 58, of Fountain Valley, California
- Shannan Rae Faulkner, 56, of Muldrow, Oklahoma
- Trynitha Fulton, 46, of New Orleans, Louisiana
- Paul John Garcia, 72, of Las Vegas, New Mexico
- Kim Douglas Haman, 75, of Lima, Ohio
- Sherranda Janell Harris, 43, of Norwalk, Connecticut
- Terence Anthony Jackson, 36, of Seattle, Washington
- Edwin Allen Jones, 60, of Paducah, Kentucky
- Jamal Lee King, 53, of North Ridgeville, Ohio
- Jerry Donald Manning, 70, of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin
- Honi Lori Moore, 46, of Rock Springs, Wyoming
- Emily Good Nelson, 39, of Indianapolis, Indiana
- Denita Nicole Parker, 43, of Gaffney, South Carolina
- Michael Gary Pelletier, 67, of Augusta, Maine
- Russell Thomas Portner, 74, of Toutle, Washington
- Nathaniel David Reed III, 46, of San Antonio, Texas
- Gary Michael Robinson, 70, of Redmond, Oregon
- Jose Antonio Rodriguez, 55, of Coral Springs, Florida
- Patrice Chante Sellers, 49, of Bear, Delaware
- Audrey Diane Simon, 63, of Prescott, Wisconsin
- James Russell Stidd, 79, of Groveport, Ohio
- Diana Bazan Villanueva, 51, of La Grange, Illinois
- Lashawn Marrvinia Walker, 51, of Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Mireya Aimee Walmsley, 57, of La Porte, Texas
- Kimberly Jo Warner, 54, of Portville, New York
- Johnnie Earl Williams, 58, of Denver, Colorado
- Shawnte Dorothea Williams, 45, of Columbia, South Carolina
- Lashundra Tenneal Wilson, 49, of Arlington, Texas
- Lora Nicole Wood, 39, of Maxwell, Nevada
- James Edgar Yarbrough, 79, of Arlington, Tennessee
Contributing: Gabe Hauari, Joey Garrison, USA TODAY
This story has been updated with additional information.
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2024-12-12 19:14:04