President Joe Biden has granted six full pardons this holiday season, including to one active-duty enlisted airman and a domestic abuse survivor.
The pardon recipients served their sentences and “demonstrated a commitment to improving their communities,” according to the White House.
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Those pardoned include: Gary Parks Davis, 66, of Yuma, Arizona; Edward Lincoln De Coito III, 50, of Dublin, California; Vincente Ray Flores, 37, of Winters, California; Beverly Ann Ibn-Tamas, 80, of Columbus, Ohio; Charlie Byrnes Jackson, 72, of St. Augustine, Florida.
Flores, for example, pleaded guilty before a special court-martial to taking ecstasy and drinking alcohol as an active service member when he was 19, according to the White House. He was sentenced to four months of confinement, made to give up $700 pay per month for four months, and had his rank reduced to E-2. After his participation in the Air Force Return to Duty Program, Flores has since been awarded the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with Gold Border, the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, the Air Force Commendation Medal, and the Meritorious Unit Award.
Ibn-Tamas was convicted of murder in the second degree while armed for killing her husband when she was 33 and pregnant, according to the White House. During her trial, she testified that her husband had physically and verbally abused her, including in the moments before she shot him. But the court refused to permit expert testimony regarding battered woman syndrome, a psychological condition and pattern of behavior that develops in victims of domestic violence. Ibn-Tamas went on to become an Ohio-based healthcare business’ nursing director.
Friday’s acts of clemency come after Biden issued blanket pardons in October to people convicted of simple marijuana possession.
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“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,” one 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.”
