President Biden grants full pardons to six people

(WASHINGTON) — The White House on Friday announced six full pardons granted by President Joe Biden.

“Today, President Biden is granting six full pardons for individuals who have served their sentences and have demonstrated a commitment to improving their communities and the lives of those around them,” a White House official said. “These include individuals who honorably served in the U.S. military, volunteer in their communities, and survived domestic abuse.”

Those being pardoned are Gary Davis of Yuma, Arizona; Edward Lincoln De Coito III of Dublin, California; Vincente Ray Flores of Winters, California; Beverly Ann Ibn-Tamas of Columbus, Ohio; Charlie Byrnes Jackson of Swansea, South Carolina; and John Dix Nock III of St. Augustine, Florida.

Five of the people pardoned served sentences for drug or alcohol-related crimes while they were relatively young, according to the White House.

Davis, now 66, was 22 years old when he pleaded guilty to using a telephone to facilitate an unlawful cocaine transaction.

Jackson, now 77, pleaded guilty to one count of possession and sale of distilled spirits without tax stamps when he was 18 years old.

Nock, now 72 years old, pleaded guilty nearly three decades ago to one count of renting and making for use, as an owner, a place for the purpose of manufacturing marijuana plants.

One of the individuals pardoned served in the military and one remains on active duty. Flores pleaded guilty at a special court-martial for consuming ecstasy and alcohol while serving in the military, and has since gone on to be awarded with multiple military honors. De Coito also received honors in the U.S. Army and Army Reserves before he pleaded guilty at the age of 23 to involvement in a marijuana trafficking conspiracy.

Ibn-Tamas, 80, was convicted of second-degree murder for killing her husband while pregnant at the age of 33. She testified he abused her during and prior to the pregnancy, but the court didn’t allow a battered women expert to testify in her case.

“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,” the White House official said.

“The president remains committed to providing second chances to individuals who have demonstrated their rehabilitation — something that elected officials on both sides of the aisle, faith leaders, civil rights advocates, and law enforcement leaders agree our criminal justice system should offer,” the official added.

The year-end pardons add to Biden’s clemency list. The president pardoned three people in April, including the first Black Secret Service agent to serve on a presidential detail.

Then, in October, Biden announced he was pardoning thousands of individuals convicted of marijuana possession under federal law. The White House said at the time the executive action would benefit 6,500 people.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.