 Anabel Valenzuela – Now Free – Clemency Granted – 32 Years – Nonviolent Drug Conspiracy - Congratulations to Anabel Valenzuela who received an immediate release on May 28, 2025 thanks to Pardon Czar Alice Marie Johnson and President Trump Name: Anabel Valenzuela Age: 41 Race: Mexican-American. Children: 2 sons, ages 11 and 12 Grew up: Born in Los Angeles but raised in Las Vegas since the age of 7. Charge: Drug […] Michael Montalvo – NOW FREE! Clemency – LIFE without parole after 37 years! - Name: Michael Montalvo 87224-012 Status: Grandfather Age: 78 Tried: Eastern district of California Will Live: California Offense Charged: Non-violent 1980s drug conspiracy charged as a continuing criminal enterprise from 1983 to 1986. Sentence: After declining a 15 and 10 year offer to plead guilty, Michael was sentenced to mandatory life without parole as a “trial […] Michelle West – 1st Offender – NOW FREE – Life Without Parole - Please sign Michelle’s Change.org petitionName: Michelle West 17809-039 Children: One daughter – Miquelle West Race: Human Grew up: Detroit, Michigan Tried: Detroit,Michigan Will Live: Los Angeles, CA Charges: Count (2) Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances, (3) Aiding & Abetting; Drug Related Murder (5) False Statements to Institution with Deposits Insured by the FDIC (6) Laundering […] Tracy Feagan – NOW FREE – Clemency – LIFE for Drug Conspiracy - Accomplishments: High School Graduation 1989; Received scholarships in both music and basketball; Completed 2 years of college. While imprisoned, accomplished the following:• Current Work Assignment: D-1 Orderly (since 2018) Second in line for Head Orderly• Current Care Assignments: Care1 – Healthy or Simple Chronic Care; Care1-MH – Mental Health; Coronavirus Crew• Education Courses: Real Estate, […] Celeste Monette Blair – Clemency – 30 years for Conspiracy - According to Celeste: I was sentenced to 30 years for CONSPIRACY TO POSSESS WITH INTENT TO DISTRIBUTE A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE (namely meth). I had not been convicted of a felony in 23 years. I was convicted as if I were a career criminal. Where does my story begin? It could begin when I was a […] Robert J. Thomas – NOW FREE – Clemency – 20 Years for Marijuana - Name: Robert Thomas, Reg. #10523-027 DOB: July 16 Race: White Raised: South Bend, Indiana Tried: Northern District of Indiana Will live: Sevierville, TN. Charges: Possession with intent to Distribute Marijuana & Possession with intent to Distribute in excess of 100 marijuana plants – (21 USC § 841(a)(1). Trial or plea: Trial. Sentenced on: August 19, 2010. Priors: Marijuana charges, cocaine […] Kendra Ward – NOW FREE – Clemency- 18 Years for Nonviolent Drug Conspiracy - Name: Kendra Ward, #53803-177 DOB: July 4 Race: White. Raised: Wichita Falls, TX. Tried: Northern District of Texas. Will live: Wichita Falls, TX. Charges: 21 USC 846; 841(a)(1) & (b)(1)(c) Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute Methamphetamine. Trial or plea: Guilty Plea. Sentenced on: July 8, 2016 Served: 8 years. Priors: Minor Offenses Prison Conduct: Exemplary, extensive programs and consistent work history. Clemency […] National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls host Grassroots Rally in DC for Clemency - “To Be Free Is to Free Others”: Formerly Incarcerated Women Urge Decarceration The fight to free women and end mass incarceration is long and ongoing, but these activists aren’t giving up. By Victoria Law; Published: May 5, 2024 Truthout is an indispensable resource for activists, movement leaders and workers everywhere. Please make this work possible with […] The Case for Second Chances – Sept 22, 2023: Office of the Pardon Attorney, Dept of Justice - CAN-DO Foundation President Amy Ralston Povah is honored to speak at an event entitled The Case For Second Chances. Although the event is not open to the pubic, it will be live screened at this link on Sept 22, 2023 at 10 am Eastern. Please review the event calendar below to see the list of […] Pardon Attorney, Liz Oyer hosts Second Chance Month event in DC – April 21, 2023. - For Second Chance month, Liz Oyer hosted an event in DC and brought together many former clemency recipients. Three former clemency recipients were asked to share their stories, which included Norman Brown accompanied by his attorney, Danielle Metz accompanied by Kevin Polite, a US Attorney from Louisiana who supported her clemency and Evans Ray Jr […] CAN-DO and Rachel Hanson in Wall Street Journal on Biden’s clemency spree - By Sadie Gurman Updated Apr. 26, 2022 12:17 pm E WASHINGTON—President Biden on Tuesday granted his first pardons and commutations to 78 people convicted mostly of nonviolent drug offenses, part of a broader White House effort to address inequities in the criminal-justice system. Mr. Biden is issuing pardons to three people and reducing […] CAN-DO pot prisoners in New York Post for 420 - Huge thanks to Steven Nelson who quoted many of our pot prisoners in the following article, including, Pedro Moreno, Luke Scarmazzo, Donald Fugitt, Lance Gloor, and Michael Pelletier WASHINGTON — On the eve of the 4/20 cannabis holiday, federal inmates again are wondering if and when President Biden will make good on his 2020 […]Clemency for 75 individuals + 3 Pardons from President Joe Biden - Clemency Recipient List APRIL 26, 2022•STATEMENTS AND RELEASES Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. is granting clemency to 78 individuals, consisting of three pardons and 75 commutations. President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. is pardoning the following three individuals: Abraham W. Bolden, Sr. – Chicago, Illinois Abraham Bolden is an 86-year-old former U.S. Secret Service agent […]  Sherry Walter – 20 years for Drug Conspiracy - Name : Sherry Ann Walter DOB: 7-24-1972 Race: White Age: 51 Children: 3 Grandchildren: 2 Raised: Texas State Indicted: Texas Pled: Guilty Charges: Conspiracy with Intent to Distribute Sentence: 20 years Served: 8 years Started sentence: November 2015 Release Date: November 2035 Priors: Possession Under a Gram Prison Conduct: Clear, community status Clemency Status: Amended in […] Joanne Tragas – Serving 16 years for Nonviolent Offense – NOW FREE! - Joanne is now out but needs help. Please consider giving to her Gofundme campaign so she can afford to pay for an apartment during this transition time: Name: Joanne Tragas #51090-018 DOB: March 24 Race: White Age: 54 Children: 1 Born/Raised: Toronto, Canada Will return: 1st to Canada, but hope to return to Sparta, Greece Charge: Access Device Fraud […] NBC covers CARES Act cases and Clemency - Sept. 12, 2021, 6:37 AM PDT / Updated Sept. 13, 2021, 9:02 AM PDT By Patrice Gaines Brian Foster was released from prison nearly a year ago under the CARES Act, a government policy that prioritized the use of home confinement as an appropriate way to release some incarcerated people as Covid-19 roared through facilities. When Foster, 54, […] Politico Breaks Story about Biden’s CARES Act Clemency Effort - By SAM STEIN 09/13/2021 01:17 PM EDT The Biden administration has begun asking former inmates confined at home because of the pandemic to formally submit commutation applications, criminal justice reform advocates and one inmate herself tell POLITICO. Those who have been asked for the applications fall into a specific category: drug offenders […] High Times focuses on Pot Lifer Ismael Lira - Most Affected: Ismael Lira’s Family Torn Apart as a Cannabis Lifer This edition of Most Affected focuses on Ismael Lira, whose family was torn apart by the war on drugs. Here is his tragic story. Ismael Lira grew up in the border town of Del Rio, Texas. He’d live there until getting caught up in […] CAN-DO President Amy Ralston Povah on Rev Al Sharpton’s Politics Nation about CARES Act - Link below to an interview between Rev Al Sharpton and Amy Ralston Povah discussing the current state of affairs regarding the CARES Act and why the criminal justice reform community is up in arms about CARES Act prisoners left in limbo about the looming Barr Memo that states all prisoners on home confinement must return […] New York Post references three CAN-DO cases: “Biden ‘exploring’ clemency for federal drug crimes” - Biden ‘exploring’ clemency for federal drug crimes, Psaki says By Steven Nelson August 11, 2021 WASHINGTON — President Biden is “exploring” the idea of granting clemency to people who are serving federal prison sentences for drug crimes, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday. It would be a dramatic pivot for Biden, who […] Intercept focuses on marijuana offenders – Diana Marquez and Raquel Esquivel - DIANA MARQUEZ HAS spent the last 14 months going on long walks, hitting the treadmill, and cooking with her daughter. She’s gotten to know her grandson, a fourth grader, helping him with his math homework. She has also lived with a weight hanging over her head — and an ankle bracelet strapped to her leg. […] Politico focuses on CARES Act and Rufus Rochelle – quotes CAN-DO - For weeks, the Biden administration has kept thousands of people in a state of panic by letting a single news report linger without formal denial or confirmation. The report, published on July 19 by the New York Times, said the administration’s “legal team” had concluded, based on prior legal guidance, that […] Honoring Men in Prison on Father’s Day – Huffpost - This article was written in 2017. Most the men featured in the Huffpost tribute to men in prison for Father’s Day are NOW HOME, including but not limited to Michael Pelletier, Andy Cox, Tim Tyler, David Barren, Jimmy Romans, Robert Shipp, John Knock, Corvain Cooper, Antonio Bascaro, Darryl Hope, William Underwood, Aaron Sandusky, Craig Cesal, […] High Times featured Pot Lifer Pedro Moreno - Most Affected: Pedro Moreno is the Last Brother Still Incarcerated for a Family Pot Operation Pedro Moreno deserves to gain clemency from prison after serving decades behind bars for a cannabis-related crime, while his four brothers were released in 2016. BYANDREW WARD JUNE 4, 2021 Photo Courtesy Alejandra (Moreno) Lopez Growing up in the border […] New York Post spotlights 420 – asks CAN-DO for quotes from cannabis clemency candidates, Ismael Lira and Pedro Moreno - Ismael Lira and Pedro Moreno provided quotes to Steven Nelson regarding their hope for clemency under a Biden administration. On 4/20, pot prisoners ask Biden to honor campaign pledge and free them By Steven Nelson April 20, 2021 | 8:00am | Updated People imprisoned for marijuana are asking President Joe Biden to release them.Photo by […] Clemency recipient Chalana McFarland and her daughter Nia on PBS - Watch this extremely poignant segment on PBS entitled Mothers leaving prison encounter uphill battle as they try reconnecting with family that focuses on the reunification of Chalana McFarland and her daughter Nia, who were severed due to harsh mandatory sentences back in 2005. Fifteen years later…they beat the odds and celebrated the miracle of clemency […] PBS special about Charles “Duke” Tanner’s clemency miracle! - The ability to pardon criminals is a unique power of a president, one that can be politically motivated and often draws criticism. But as Reveal’s Michael Schiller explains, pardons can also change lives. The CAN-DO Foundation advocated on behalf of Duke Tanner for years, including a previous segment by Reveal’s Michael Schiller that aired on […] Luke Scarmazzo – 21.8 years for Medical Marijuana — NOW FREE ON COMPASSIONATE RELEASE! - Luke’s co-defendant, Ricardo Montes received clemency. They were charged together and are co-defendants. Please sign this petition supporting Luke’s clemency on change.org Luke Scarmazzo # 63131-097 DOB: 1980 Age: 41 Race: White Raised: California Tried: Went to trial in the Eastern District of California Will live: Modesto, California Children: One daughter Charge: Conducting a continuing […] Andy Cox – Life for Pot is NOW FREE due to Compassionate release! - Andy Cox was Serving Life for Pot and walked out of prison on 1/6/20. We are elated for Andy and his family!!! Please sign Andy Cox’s change.org petition Name: Andrew Cox, #89487-020 DOB: 7/13/1963 Children: 3 Born and Raised: Vero Beach, Florida Tried: Atlanta, Georgia Will Live: Florida Offense: Conspiracy to Manufacture Marijuana Sentence: Life plus 2 […] New York Post quotes several CAN-DO clemency candidates in annual Turkey pardon article by Steven Nelson - Trump will “pardon” gobblers named Corn and Cobin an annual tradition at the White House on Tuesday, but in a potential twist, allies and reform advocates are anticipating more serious reprieves in the coming weeks. “President Trump has moved mountains since taking office and I’m certain he’s not done yet,” said Amy Povah, a clemency advocate […] Angela Wright – 30 years – Compassionate Release – NOW FREE! - Congratulations Angela Wright! We are so happy you are now free! Please sign Angela Wright’s clemency petition: Name: Angela C. Wright #: 12118-017 DOB: 1/1/1977 Age: 44 Marital Status: Single Children: One son, Brad Moore, Jr. Sentence: 30 years, 4 months Date Sentence Started: 2/24/2007 Years served: 12 Release Date: 3/2026 Charge(s): 21 USC 841 and 846: Conspiracy to Distribute […]Angela Wright has served over a decade and needs clemency - By Joe ChenApr 3, 2020 Angela Wright, 43, has served approximately 13 years of a 30-year sentence for convictions of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute. Criminal justice advocates say she is a deserving candidate for clemency. “My son, Brad, is my number one priority,” Wright told the CAN-DO Foundation. “I want to make up […]  Vietnam Vet Michael Montalvo deserves clemency - By April BamburgApr 4, 2020 Michael Montalvo is a Vietnam veteran, father of two, and grandfather of three. CAN-DO Foundation, a criminal justice reform advocacy group, says he deserves clemency from President Trump. The 73-year-old has served 32 years of a life sentence without parole for the non-violent crime of a continuing criminal enterprise between 1983 […] Rufus Rochelle deserves clemency per CAN-DO - By April BamburgApr 3, 2020 The CAN-DO Foundation supports Rufus Rochell in his bid for clemency. He was sentenced to 40 years and 8 months on charges of a conspiracy with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of crack, and possession with intent of the same amount. Rochell, 68, has served 31 years 8 months […] Peach Tree Times focuses on Chalana McFarland’s clemency campaign - By Juliette FairleyApr 20, 2020 When Chalana McFarland exercised her constitutional right to a trial for alleged mortgage fraud, she didn’t expect to receive harsher sentencing than her co-defendant who opted for a plea deal but that’s exactly what happened. “Chalana is serving time because she refused to cooperate,” said Amy Ralston Povah, president of the […] |
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