Dec. 31 (UPI) — President Joe Biden granted full pardons to six people, the White House announced Friday.
Those receiving pardons included people convicted of drug- and alcohol-related crimes and a woman convicted of murder for killing her abusive partner.
“President Biden believes America is a nation of second chances, and that offering meaningful opportunities for redemption and rehabilitation empowers those who have been incarcerated to become productive, law-abiding members of society,” a White House official said, according to The Hill.
Those pardoned Friday were:
Gary Parks Davis is a 66-year-old man who pleaded guilty to use of a communications facility to facilitate an unlawful cocaine transaction at age 22. He finished his probation in 1981 and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree and start a landscaping business.
Edward Lincoln De Coito III is a 50-year-old man who pleaded guilty to involvement in a marijuana trafficking conspiracy at age 23. Prior to his arrest De Coito served in the U.S. Army Reservers and received multiple medals. After his release, he was an electrician for 15 years, before becoming a pilot.
Vincente Ray Flores is a 37-year-old man who was sentenced to four months confinement by a special court-martial after consuming ecstasy and alcohol while serving in the military. Flores completed the six month Air Force Return to Duty Program and returned to military service. Flores was awarded the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, and the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award. Flores remains on active duty.
Beverly Ann Ibn-Tamas is an 80-year-old woman who was convicted of killing her husband at the age of 33. Ibn-Tamas testified that her husband physically assaulted and threatened her in the moments leading up to the shooting. Expert testimony about Battered Women Syndrome was not allowed at her trial. After her release Ibn-Tamas became Director of Nursing for an Ohio-based healthcare business.
Charlie Byrnes Jackson is a 77-year-old pleaded guilty to one count of possession and sale of distilled spirits without tax stamps at the age of 18. Jackson was denied entry into the Marines because of the conviction.
John Dix Nock III is a 72-year-old man who pleaded guilty to one count of renting and making for use, as an owner, a place for the purpose of manufacturing marijuana plants 27 years ago. Nock was not part of the conspiracy and merle rented the property. He currently runs a general contracting business.
Biden issued his first three pardons in April, including Abraham Bolden, the first Black Secret Service agent to serve on a presidential detail as a member of Kennedy’s security detail between 1961 and 1963. He was tried in 1964 for attempting to sell an official Secret Service file. The trial ended in a hung jury.
In October, he cleared about 6,500 people convicted of federal offenses of simple marijuana possession between 1992 and 2021 and thousands more who were convicted in the District of Columbia.
