Trump announces seven pardons or sentence commutations

President Trump on Monday commuted the sentences of two nonviolent criminals and granted pardons to five others who previously pleaded guilty to nonviolent crimes but have completed their sentences.

The White House announced that Trump commuted the sentence of Ronen Nahmani, who was convicted in 2015 and sentenced to 20 years in prison for conspiring to distribute a synthetic drug known as spice.

The White House said Nahmani was a first-time offender with no prior criminal history who has five young children at home and a wife battling terminal cancer. The release also noted his case for an early release received support from bipartisan lawmakers.{mosads}

Trump also commuted the sentence of Ted Suhl, an Arkansas man who was convicted in 2016 on four counts of bribery after prosecutors said he took part in a scheme to increase Medicaid payments to his company.

Suhl appealed the ruling, but it was upheld, and he intended to file for an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court. The White House noted his “spotless disciplinary record” while incarcerated and highlighted his support from former Gov. Mike Huckabee and former U.S. Attorney Bud Cummins.

In addition, Trump granted executive clemency to five people.

The president pardoned John Richard Bubala, who pleaded guilty in 1990 to improper use of federal government property by transferring automotive equipment to the town of Milltown, Ind.

Trump also pardoned Roy Wayne McKeever, who pleaded guilty in 1989 after he was arrested for transporting marijuana from Mexico to Oklahoma. McKeever was 19 at the time and served one year in jail.

Rodney Takumi received a pardon for a conviction over a 1987 arrest while he was working at an illegal gambling parlor. Takumi now owns a tax preparation franchise within the Navajo Nation, the White House said.

Trump granted clemency to Michael Tedesco, who was convicted in 1990 of drug trafficking and fraud. Former President Obama had pardoned Tedesco in 2017, but the fraud conviction remained on his record due to a clerical error. Trump’s pardon will remove that charge, allowing Tedesco to obtain state licenses needed for his business.

The president also pardoned Chalmer Lee Williams, who was convicted in 1995 of several crimes related to theft of firearms and checked luggage during his time as a baggage handler. Williams served four months in prison and two years of supervised release. His voting rights in Kentucky were restored in 1998, the White House said.

“Through these full and unconditional pardons, the Federal rights of these men, including the right to vote and the right to bear arms, have been fully restored,” the White House said in a statement. “Today, they are once again full and equal citizens under the law.”

With Monday’s announcements, Trump has now pardoned or reduced the sentences of 19 individuals since taking office.