Trump has pardoned famous criminals serving sentences on high-profile cases

On February 18, US President Donald Trump pardoned 11 people serving prison sentences for crimes in high-profile cases - from gambling fraud to tax evasion and drug charges, writes USA Today.

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Trump, who has sweeping pardon powers under the Constitution, granted full pardons—legal forgiveness for a crime—to seven people and commuted or reduced prison sentences for four others.

Some cases featured prominent criminals such as former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and former New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik. Others, although initially not aroused so much attention, became reasons for activists' initiatives, who considered the sentences too harsh.

The 2020 pardon act means that in just his presidential term, Donald Trump pardoned 25 people and changed the length of jail time for another 10 criminals.

• What does pardon mean: Presidential pardon is a sign of forgiveness, explains criminaldefenselawyer.com. This is not an excuse: pardon does not erase and does not delete the conviction. When a criminal asks for a pardon, he rather asks for his “good name” to be returned, and for this he must convince the president that he has led a law-abiding, moral, and responsible life since the conviction. Those who have previously been released after full or partial serving of the term may be pardoned. Pardons restore all rights of a US citizen, such as the right to vote and work in a jury.
• What does commutation mean: The president can replace the punishment with a less severe one. A sentence may be commuted when facts become known that were absent at the time of the sentencing. This type of relief is rarely provided, but can be implemented when the offender is old, seriously ill, or when the sentence is considered unusually severe compared to similar cases. When the sentence is commuted, the offender is not restored to civil rights (this can only be done by subsequent pardon, which sometimes happens).

The pardon on February 18, 2020 was received by:

Bernard Kerik

Kerik, a former New York Police Department commissioner whose response to the Sept. 11 attacks was praised along with that of then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani, was sentenced to four years in prison. He pleaded guilty to a felony charge of tax fraud and lying to the White House on behalf of the head of the Department of Homeland Security. He served three years in federal prison before being released in 2013.

Edward DeBartolo Jr.

DeBartolo, a former owner of San Francisco 49ers, was fined $ 1 million in a Louisiana gambling fraud case in the late 1990s. DeBartolo testified that he had paid $ 400 to the governor of Louisiana, Edwin Edwards, in exchange for his assistance in obtaining a casino license on a riverboat. DeBartolo pleaded guilty to refusing to report the crime.

Michael Milken

Milken, a fraudulent financier known as the “king of junk bonds,” pleaded guilty in 1990 to several charges of securities and tax violations. In a pardon announcement, the White House named Milken “one of America’s greatest financiers” and noted his work on prostate cancer.

Ariel Friedler

Friedler, the founder and CEO of the software company in Arlington, Virginia, pleaded guilty in 2014 and served two months in prison for conspiring to break into the computer systems of two competitors. Friedler's company, Symplicity Corp., was a government contractor. Friedler was forced to sell the company after pleading guilty.

Paul Pogue

The owner of a Texas construction company, Pogue pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years in prison in 2010 for filing a fake tax return. Authorities said Pog underestimated his income in tax returns for three years.

On the subject: The criminals of the year: our people arrested in the US in 2019

David Safavyan

Former chief of staff of the General Services Administration, Safavyan was sentenced to one year in prison for lying about his connections with disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Safavyan was convicted in 2009 for obstructing the administration of justice and false testimony to authorities investigating Abramoff's activities. Prosecutors said that Safavian lied to hide his efforts to help Abramoff in his relationship with the government.

Angela Stanton

Stanton is an author and reality TV star who is serving time in prison for her role in a car theft scheme. She is an avid Trump supporter, criminal justice reform advocate, and goddaughter of Martin Luther King Jr.'s politically conservative niece, Alveda King. Stanton spoke at the Women for Trump conference in 2018 and frequently posts about Trump on her Twitter account.

The prison term was reduced for such persons:

Rod Blagojevich

The former Illinois governor was serving a 14-year prison sentence on federal charges that he used his office to solicit campaign money and other favors from potential contenders for the Illinois Senate seat left vacant when Barack Obama became president. Trump previously argued that Blagojevich, a Democrat who appeared as a guest on Trump's television program "Celebrity Apprentice," was treated "very, very unfairly."

Tynes Nicole Hall

Hall from Texas served nearly 14 years from an 18-year prison sentence for allowing her to use her apartment for drug trafficking.

On the subject: 'Hang up': how Americans give millions of dollars to telephone scammers

Crystal Munoz

Munoz from Odessa, Texas, spent the last 12 years in prison after being convicted of smuggling marijuana. She admitted that she drew a map for a friend that showed checkpoints along the border with Mexico. According to Munoz, she did not know that the card would be used for drug smuggling, but she was sentenced to 18 years in prison.

Judith Negron

Owner of a Miami-based mental health company, Negron was sentenced in 2011 to 35 years in prison for setting up a $ 205 million Medicare fraud scheme. She served eight years.

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