Source: Prince Williams / Getty
A list of presidential pardons was handed down in the final hours of Donald Trump’s presidency early Wednesday morning.
The over 140 people to make the cut includes two high-profile celebrities in the hip hop community and some white collar criminals, but Trump did take the advice of his legal team and did not issue a pardon for himself. It was also reported that he was warned about issuing any type of pardon for his family, along with being talked out of doing the same for family members of other Republicans.
One of the most notable people to receive a pardon was Steve Bannon. The President’s former chief strategist was criminally charged for his role in the “Build the Wall” fraud scheme. The pardon nullifies any prosecution that was forthcoming in Manhattan, New York; effectively eliminating any prospect for punishment.
“Steve Bannon is getting a pardon from Trump after defrauding Trump’s own supporters into paying for a wall that Trump promised Mexico would pay for,” Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) said on Twitter. “And if that all sounds crazy, that’s because it is. Thank God we have only 12 more hours of this den of thieves.”
Among those on the list is rapper Lil Wayne, who pleaded guilty to felony gun possession in November. ‘Tha Carter’ was one of the first to be named as possibly receiving clemency. Trump also granted a commutation to Bill Kapri, AKA Kodak Black, who was sentenced to 46 months in prison for making a false statement on a Federal document.
The campaign for Black’s release was supported widely by Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, Gucci Mane, Lil Yachty, Lil Pump, Pastor Darrell Scott, Rabbi Schneur Kaplan, Bernie Kerik, Hunter Pollack, and Jack Brewer among others.
According to the White House, “Before his conviction and after reaching success as a recording artist, Kodak Black became deeply involved in numerous philanthropic efforts. In fact, he has committed to supporting a variety of charitable efforts, such as providing educational resources to students and families of fallen law enforcement officers and the underprivileged.
“In addition to these efforts, he has paid for the notebooks of school children, provided funding and supplies to daycare centers, provided food for the hungry, and annually provides for underprivileged children during Christmas. Most recently while still incarcerated, Kodak Black donated $50,000 to David Portnoy’s Barstool Fund, which provides funds to small businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Kodak Black’s only request was that his donation go toward restaurants in his hometown.”
Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was another to have his sentence commuted. He was serving 7 years in prison for his role in a racketeering and bribery scheme while in office. During his incarceration, Kilpatrick helped fellow inmates by teaching public speaking classes and led Bible Study.
As for North Carolina, Trump granted a full pardon to Robert Cannon “Robin” Hayes. The former North Carolina Congressman was on probation for making a false statement to Federal investigators. In addition to his years in Congress, Mr. Hayes has served as Chairman of the NC GOP.
A list of Trump’s latest pardons can be found at whitehouse.gov.
One name not on the list was Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage AKA Joe Exotic. The star of Netflix’s hit show ‘Tiger King’ expected to be pardoned by Trump, according to his lawyer Eric Love. The former Oklahoma zookeeper is currently serving a 22-year federal prison sentence in Fort Worth, Texas for his role in plotting the murder of longtime rival Carole Baskin.
Here’s a list of prior Trump pardons from 2017-2020, according to Newsweek.
Joseph M. Arpaio—Contempt of Court
Kristian Mark Saucier—Unauthorized retention of defense information
I. Lewis Libby, aka Scooter Libby, aka Irve Lewis “Scooter” Libby—Obstruction of justice; false statements; perjury (two counts)
John Arthur Johnson, aka Jack Johnson—Violation of the White Slave Traffic Act
Dinesh D’Souza—Campaign contribution fraud
Dwight Lincoln Hammond—Use of fire to damage and destroy property of the United States
Steven Dwight Hammond—Use of fire to damage and destroy property of the United States (two counts)
Michael Chase Behenna—Unpremeditated murder; assault
Patrick James Nolan—Conducting the affairs of an enterprise through a pattern of racketeering
Conrad Moffat Black—Mail fraud; attempted obstruction of justice
Michael Anthony Tedesco—Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute in excess of 5 kilograms of cocaine and quantities of marijuana
Roy Wayne McKeever—Used telephone in distributing marijuana
John Richard Bubala—Conversion of government property
Chalmer Lee Williams—Conspiracy to steal firearms and other goods as part of an interstate shipment; theft from shipment in interstate commerce; theft of firearms shipped in interstate commerce
Rodney M. Takumi—Participating in an illegal gambling business
Zay Jeffries—Conspiracy to violate the Sherman Act
Mathew Golsteyn—Premeditated murder (charged, not tried or convicted)
Clint A. Lorance—Attempted murder; murder (two specifications); wrongfully communicating a threat (two specifications); reckless endangerment; solicitating a false statement; obstructing justice
Angela Ronae Stanton—Conspiracy to transport in interstate commerce a stolen motor vehicle and tampering with a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
Ariel Manuel Friedler—Conspiracy to access a protected computer without authorization
David Hossein Safavian—Obstruction; false statement (three counts)
Michael Robert Milken—Conspiracy; securities fraud; mail fraud; tax fraud; filing false reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); assisting a brokerage firm in violating its net capital requirements
Paul Harvey Pogue—Making and subscribing a false tax return
Bernard Bailey Kerik—Obstructing the administration of the Internal Revenue Laws; aiding in the preparation of a false income tax return; making false statements on a loan application; making false statements (five counts)
Edward J. DeBartolo Jr.—Misprision of a felony
Susan B. Anthony—Illegal voting
Jon Donyae Ponder—Bank robbery; interference with commerce by armed robbery (six counts)
Alice Marie Johnson—Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine; attempted possession of 12 kilos of cocaine with intent to distribute; attempted possession of 9 kilos of cocaine; attempted possession of 75 kilos of cocaine; attempted possession of 10 kilos of cocaine; conspiracy to commit money laundering; money laundering ($1.5 million); structuring monetary transactions
Michael T. Flynn—Making false statements to Federal investigators
Phillip Kay Lyman—Conspiracy to operate off-road vehicles on public land closed to off-road vehicles; operation of off-road vehicle on public lands closed to off-road vehicles
Otis Gordon—Sell, distribute, or dispense a controlled substance
Weldon Hal Angelos—Possession with intent to distribute marijuana (five counts); possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime (three counts); possession of a stolen firearm (two counts); possession of a firearm with a removed serial number; use of a controlled substance in possession of a firearm (two counts); money laundering (three counts)
Alex Van Der Zwaan—False statements
George Papadopoulos—False statements
Christopher Carl Collins—Conspiracy to commit securities fraud; false statements
Duncan D. Hunter—Conspiracy to commit offenses
Alfonso Antonio Costa—Health care fraud
Paul Alvin Slough—Voluntary manslaughter, aiding and abetting and causing an act to be done (13 counts); attempt to commit voluntary manslaughter, aiding and abetting and causing an act to be done (17 counts); using and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and aiding and abetting and causing an act to be done
Nicholas Abram Slatten—Murder in the first degree
Evan Shawn Liberty—Voluntary manslaughter, aiding and abetting and causing an act to be done (eight counts); attempt to commit voluntary manslaughter, aiding and abetting and causing an act to be done (12 counts); using and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and aiding and abetting and causing an act to be done
Dustin Laurent Heard—Voluntary manslaughter, aiding and abetting and causing an act to be done (six counts); attempt to commit voluntary manslaughter, aiding and abetting and causing an act to be done (11 counts); using and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and aiding and abetting and causing an act to be done
Jose Alonso Compean—Assault with a dangerous weapon, and aiding and abetting; assault with serious bodily injury, and aiding and abetting; discharge of a firearm in relation to a crime of violence; deprivation of rights under color of law
Alfred Lee Crum—Illegally operating a still; unlawful possession of a still; operating without bond
Ignacio Ramos—Assault with a dangerous weapon and aiding and abetting; assault with serious bodily injury and aiding and abetting; discharge of a firearm in relation to a crime of violence; deprivation of rights under color of law
Roger Joseph Stone Jr.—Obstruction of proceeding; false statements (five counts); witness tampering
Paul J. Manafort—Subscribing to false United States individual income tax returns for 2010-2014 tax years (five counts); failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts for calendar years 2011-2014; bank fraud/Lender B/$3.4 million loan; bank fraud/Lender C/$1 million loan and Conspiracy against the United States; conspiracy to obstruct justice (witness tampering)
Margaret E. Hunter—Conspiracy to commit offenses
Charles Kushner—Fraud and false statements (16 counts); retaliating against witness, victim; statements or entries generally
William Plemons—Structuring transactions to avoid reporting requirements (four counts), Willfully attempting to evade personal income tax (three counts), and Wire fraud
Topeka Kimberly Sam—Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine hydrochloride
Peter Y. Atkinson—Mail fraud (three counts)
John A. Boultbee—Mail fraud
Andrew Barron Worden—Wire fraud
Mary Ballard McCarty—Conspiracy to commit honest services fraud
James J. Kassouf—Making a false tax return
John Frederick Tate—Conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States; causing false records; causing false campaign contribution reports; false statements scheme
Trump pardons Lil Wayne and Steve Bannon, commutes Kodak Black’s sentence was originally published on wbt.com
