Obama's latest batch of pardons.

[Hand]

WASHINGTON — President Obama commuted the sentences of 214 more federal inmates Wednesday, the largest single-day grant of commutations in the nation's history.

With 562 total commutations during his presidency — most of which have come in the past year —Obama has now used his constitutional clemency power to shorten the sentences of more federal inmates than any president since Calvin Coolidge.

The early release of the 214 prisoners, mostly low-level drug offenders, is part of Obama's effort to correct what he views as unreasonably long mandatory minimum sentences. Some date back decades, including 71-year-old Richard L. Reser of Sedgwick, Kan., who was given a 40-year sentence for dealing methamphatamine and firearm possession in 1989. He'll be released Dec. 1.

"The more we understand the human stories behind this problem, the sooner we can start making real changes that keep our streets safe, break the cycle of incarceration in this country, and save taxpayers like you money," Obama said in a Facebook post.

Continued...

I looks like December 1 this year will be the day a whole bunch of these "mostly low-level drug offenders" will be back on the streets again.

I was curious what "low-level drug offense" meant. I thought it would be something like "got busted with a sack of weed or got busted with an ounce in his fridge", etc... so I went and looked at the list of convictions of the last batch of folks that the President pardoned.

If I am reading this correctly, these all fall in the category of "mostly low-level drug offenders"

• Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing cocaine base, 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(A)(iii), & 846; possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing cocaine base, 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) & (b)(1)(A)(iii) and 18 U.S.C. § 2; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1); possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking offense, 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)
• Possession with intent to distribute in excess of five grams of cocaine base, 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) & 841(b)(1)(B);
• Possession of cocaine base with intent to distribute, 21 U.S.C. §§ 841 (a)(1) & (b)(1)(c); possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(i); felon in possession of a firearm, 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(2) & 924(a)(2); possession of five grams or more of cocaine base with intent to distribute, 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) & (b)(1)(b)
• Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (crack), 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1)
• Distribution of methamphetamine (two counts), 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) & (b)(1)(C); possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime (two counts), 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A); drug user in possession of firearm (two counts), 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(3) & 924(a)(2)
• Conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute, 21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841(a)(1) & 841(b)(1)(B); possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and aiding and abetting, 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B) & 18 U.S.C. § 2; using a drug involved premises and aiding and abetting, 21 U.S.C. §§ 856 & 18 U.S.C. § 2; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, 18 U.S.C. § 924(c); possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) & 841(b)(1)(C); possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)
• Conspiracy to distribute five grams or more of "crack cocaine," 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), & 846

And after reading a LOT of these, this one following is my favorite. Ronald Evans looks like a pretty serious drug dealer, and he got not 1, but 2 commutations.
Hmm...

Ronald Evans

Offense:

Conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, heroin, and a mixture containing cocaine base, 21 U.S.C. § 846; possession with intent to distribute heroin (three counts), 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and 18 U.S.C. § 2; possession with intent to distribute cocaine, 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1); possession with intent to distribute a mixture or substance containing cocaine base (two counts), 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and 18 U.S.C. § 2

Sentence:

July 30, 1993; Eastern District of Virginia; Life imprisonment; five years' supervised release ; amended to 360 months' imprisonment (March 16, 2015)

Terms of grant:

Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016, leaving intact and in effect the five-year term of supervised release with all its conditions and all other components of the sentence.


Ronald Evans

Offense:

1. Possession with intent to distribute in excess of five grams of cocaine base, 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) & 841(b)(1)(B);

2. Supervised release violation (possession with intent to distribute cocaine base, 21 U.S.C. §§ 841)

Sentence:

1. August 13, 2003; District of Maine; 270 months' imprisonment; eight years’ supervised release

2. August 13, 2003; District of Maine; 12 months' imprisonment (concurrent)

Terms of grant:

Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment, leaving intact and in effect the eight-year term of supervised release with all its conditions and all other components of the sentence.

You can find all this stuff here.

[Old Dog New Trick]

Multiple their families by what, seven, and you get that many more voters come November.

[Sohei]

One of the "fortunate" lives about a mile from me. I was excited to see that he gets to come back early. Hopefully, he won't be spreading his poison like he did before, but I'm not holding out any hope.

As Brush Okie stated in his post, he was arrested for more than what he pled to and was sentenced on. He certainly wasn't "low level."

[ddoering]

Originally Posted by Agoge2

One of the "fortunate" lives about a mile from me. I was excited to see that he gets to come back early. Hopefully, he won't be spreading his poison like he did before, but I'm not holding out any hope.

As Brush Okie stated in his post, he was arrested for more than what he pled to and was sentenced on. He certainly wasn't "low level."

If he re-offends make sure it makes it into the news. There is no publicity like bad publicity.

[Sohei]

Originally Posted by ddoering

If he re-offends make sure it makes it into the news. There is no publicity like bad publicity.

Indeed I shall!

[The Reaper]

Originally Posted by Brush Okie

You can always spread the rumor around he got out early for ratting some of his former business associates out.

You mean the POTUS?

TR