President Biden on Friday announced six full pardons for people who were convicted either while they were relatively young or decades ago, and have since served out their sentences.
The pardons cover five people convicted of drug or alcohol offenses, and one woman convicted of murdering a husband she said abused her.
This fall, Mr. Biden issued categorical pardons for thousands of people convicted of simple marijuana possession. Issuing pardons at the end of a year or the end of a term is typical for U.S. presidents.
These are the people the president is set to issue full pardons to on Friday, according to the White House:
- Beverly Ann Ibn-Tamas, now 80, was convicted of second-degree murder for killing her husband. She was 33 and pregnant at the time of the incident, and testified that her husband beat her, threatened her and verbally abused her. She claimed her husband physically assaulted and threatened her moments before she shot him. She was sentenced to one to five years in prison. Her case encouraged courts to recognize battered woman syndrome, and she became the director of nursing for a health care business. At 80, she still works at the Ohio facility as a case manager, the White House said.
- Charlie Byrnes Jackson, now 77, pleaded guilty to one count of possession and sale of distilled spirits over a single illegal whiskey transaction when he was 18. The South Carolina man was sentenced to five years’ probation. Since then, the White House said Jackson has been an active member of his church, and has used his carpentry skills to renovate church buildings.
- Gary Parks Davis, now 66 of Arizona, pleaded guilty to using a telephone to facilitate an unlawful cocaine transaction at 22. He served six months on nights and weekends in county jail, and completed probation. David ultimately earned a bachelor’s degree and began his own landscaping business and managed construction projects. The White House says he has used his skills to serve the local high school’s booster club, as well as the local rotary club and chamber of commerce.
- Edward Lincoln De Coito III of California, now 50, is a former U.S. Army service member who pleaded guilty to involvement in a marijuana trafficking conspiracy at 23. He served as a courier on a handful of occasions. He did prison time from March 1999 to December 2000. In the Army and Army Reserves, he received awards including the Army Good Conduct Medal and the Humanitarian Service Medal.
- John Dix Nock III of Florida, now 72, pleaded guilty for renting and making use of a place for manufacturing marijuana plants 27 years ago. He was sentenced in 1996 to six months’ community confinement, and three years of supervised release. He paid the government the value of the home he rented to his brother, the White House says. He now mentors young contractors.
- Vincente Ray Flores, now 37 of California, pleaded guilty for consuming ecstasy and alcohol while serving in the military when he was about 19. He was sentenced to four months’ confinement and had to pay $700 for four months in forfeiture, and had his rank reduced. He entered an Air Force Return to Deuty Program, a six-month rehabilitation program. To this day, he is on active duty, receiving multiple military wawards. Through his military unit, he has also volunteered for charity causes including Habitat for Humanity, the White House notes.
The White House released the announcement as Mr. Biden is vacationing with his family in St. Croix.
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