Obama commutes 330 drug sentences, including 3 from Hawaii
ASSOCIATED PRESS
President Barack Obama spoke during his final presidential news conference, Wednesday, in the briefing room of the White House in Washington. In his last major act as president, Barack Obama cut short the sentences of 330 federal inmates convicted of drug crimes today, bringing his bid to correct what he’s called a systematic injustice to a climactic close.
WASHINGTON >> Barack Obama cut short the sentences of 330 federal inmates, including three from Hawaii, convicted of drug crimes today, bringing his bid to correct what he’s called a systematic injustice to a climactic close.
With his final offer of clemency, Obama brought his total number of commutations granted to 1,715, more than any other president in U.S. history, the White House said. During his presidency, Obama ordered free 568 inmates who had been sentenced to life in prison.
“He wanted to do it. He wanted the opportunity to look at as many as he could to provide relief,” Neil Eggleston, Obama’s White House counsel, said in an interview in his West Wing office. “He saw the injustice of the sentences that were imposed in many situations, and he has a strong view that people deserve a second chance.”
(According to the White House, the three convicts from Hawaii are:
>> Thaddeas Kulani Thomas Hall of Waipahu, who is serving 180 months in prison for a 2008 conviction of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. Hall’s sentence was commuted to expire on Jan. 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
>> Alfred William Kemfort of Maui, who was convicted of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; in 2006 and sentenced to 240 months in prison. His sentence was commuted to expire on Jan. 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
>> Allan Aquino Lafuente of Kapolei, who was convicted in 2009 of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, distribution of five or more grams of methamphetamine, distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. Lafuente’s prison sentence was commuted to 180 months.)
For Obama, it was the last time he exercised his presidential powers in any significant way. At noon on Friday, Obama will stand with President-elect Donald Trump as his successor is sworn in and Obama’s chapter in history comes to an end.
Even as Obama issued the commutations, the White House had been mostly cleared out to make way for Trump. In between carrying out their last duties, the few remaining staffers were packing up belongings as photos of Obama were taken down from the walls of the West Wing corridors.
The final batch of commutations — more in a single day than on any other day in U.S. history — was the culmination of Obama’s second-term effort to try to remedy the consequences of decades of onerous sentencing requirements that he said had imprisoned thousands of drug offenders for too long. Obama repeatedly called on Congress to pass a broader criminal justice fix, but lawmakers never acted.
For Bernard Smith, it’s a long-awaited chance to start over after 13 years away from his wife and children.
Smith was working at a restaurant in Maryland in 2002 when his brother asked him to obtain marijuana for a drug deal. Though it was his brother who obtained the crack cocaine that the brothers then sold along with the marijuana to undercover officers, Smith was charged with the cocaine offense, too.
His 22-year sentence was far longer than his brother’s, owing to what the court called Smith’s “extensive criminal history” prior to the drug bust. Smith still had 10 years on his sentence when he was notified today that the president, on his last day in office, was giving him another chance.
“He’s looking to turn his life around,” said Michelle Curth, his attorney. “He’s a good person who, like so many people, got involved in something he’s been punished for already.”
Curth said that Smith had learned his lesson and owned up to his crime — he asked for a commutation, she noted, not a pardon, which would have erased the original conviction. She said Smith hopes to get licensed in heating and air conditioning maintenance and has lined up family members to help with his adjustment.
But freedom for Smith is still two years away. Rather than release him immediately, Obama directed that he be set free in January 2019 — two years after Obama has left office — and only if Smith enrolls in a residential drug treatment program.
To be eligible for a commutation under Obama’s initiative, inmates had to have behaved well in prison and already served 10 years, although some exceptions to the 10-year rule were granted. They also had to be considered nonviolent offenders, although many were charged with firearms violations in relation to their drug crimes.
Obama personally reviewed the case of every inmate who received a commutation, often poring over case files in the evenings or calling his attorneys into his office to discuss specifics. Although a backlog of cases remains as Obama leaves office, his administration reviewed all applications that came in by an end-of-August deadline, officials said.
Eggleston said Obama had been particularly motivated to grant clemency to inmates who had turned themselves around in prison. He said one inmate had trained and obtained a commercial driver’s license through a prison program, despite having a life sentence that all but assured he’d never get to use it.
“The ones who really stuck home for the president and me are the ones who got their GED, they worked, they took courses in anger management, they took courses in getting over drug abuse issues, they remained in contract with their families,” Eggleston said.
Obama has long called for phasing out strict sentences for drug offenses, arguing they lead to excessive punishment and incarceration rates unseen in other developed countries. With Obama’s support, the Justice Department in recent years directed prosecutors to rein in the use of harsh mandatory minimums.
Earlier in the week, Obama commuted most of the rest of convicted leaker Chelsea Manning’s sentence, arguing the Army intelligence analyst had shown remorse and already served a long sentence.
Yet Obama will leave office without granting commutations or pardons to other prominent offenders who had sought clemency, including accused Army deserter Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl and former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. He also declined to pardon former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.
62 responses to “Obama commutes 330 drug sentences, including 3 from Hawaii”
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He should be a judge in Honolulu
Yeah, right! We need a hanging judge.
America breathes a sigh of relief when this asshat moves out.
And Friday, we then get a commode sworn in, bigger than your hat.
How do you know. Let’s judge Trump after his term. As for Obama, most are making comments on factual deeds that he has done.
he still smoking the weed since he went to Punahou
I doubt it. I am sure today he eats it. better high.
Great job…
I’m already wondering how many of these 3 have African Blood line. From google’n, one of these drug dealers tried to get some charges dropped because of search warrant trouble although he had the drugs. SAD . and on another was/and probably will be a repeat drug offender and with a firearm. SAD
Those 2 I’ve found info on are not even close of being near being wrongfully convicted of those that I feel are more deserved. Glad to see Barry go
Ongoing confirmation postings here as to whether baracki huINSANE obama is THE worst…or ABSOLUTELY WORST human to be in the WH.
And when you wake up tomorrow, Mr. Obama will still be black.
So one more bad day for you.
@ KKKlastri
True to form you are still a Narcissistic Racist Liberal piece of Garbage with no end of stopping your bloviating spew in sight. Thank you for being so predictable.
Aren’t you in DC leading the Womens March to nowhere?
1 day til #MAGA
Manning’s lawyer was the ACLU.
But he won’t be president. 🙂
It always seemed a little racist to me to refer to President Obama as black, when he is half Euro-American.
It brings up a past in which one drop of so called black blood was enough to taint you.
Wonder how long before you change your typical posting to something like the Donald is just a RINO? lol
Fact is Obama, like the democrats who preceded him were good presidents while republicans before were disastrous for the country as the republican president to follow. Did you ever say what you liked most about republicans? Their deficits? Their lies?
Not even 1pm, and you’re already tanked. Your myopic focus on the absurd remains blurry and totally ridiculous.
That is what I love about you peanuthead. You just write words with no back up. I understand. I will enjoy telling you I told you so when you start calling the Donald a RINO. lol
@ Boots
#MAGA will happen in his first 4 years….PERIOD.
Celebrate the happening and thank you for NOT MENTIONING the STOCK MARKET!!
Pre-Inagural happening ..watch it…live it!
One year ago 99.99% of republicans nevery dream trumpf would win. If fact they hated hom.
@ NB
And you scoffed at the idea…noway that would ever happen.
ell now..look at where we are now..1 day before he becomes PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP!
Imagine that! You think your crooked hiLIARy realized it yet?
Boots vitriolic snotty postings remind me of that character “Gollum “.
The worst is yet to come!
Yes your are correct! Buttcrack Obamazz intends to continue his out right destruction of the United States. Try braddah, try…it aint gonna happen.
Right lae, it won’t every happen because it was a figment of your imagination.
The Donald has been all over on so many issues so no telling where he will end up. Think you are right though as one thing I think can be counted on are tax cuts for the rich and an increase in wasteful government spending. Gee, wonder what will happen to the budget Deficit?
Actually, I’m ok with this. He picked the right prisoners to be released by what they are now, not before. Maybe its time for the justice system to reevaluate when is enough time served, enough! Shucks, sounding like Boots!
Crack Dealer Freed Early Under Obama Plan Murders Woman, 2 Kids – Judicial Watch:
http://www.judicialwatch.org/blog/2016/03/crack-dealer-freed-early-under-obama-plan-murders-woman-2-kids/
That is totally unacceptable! You kill someone, especially children, should never see the light of day. I thought these were soft drug offenses, not murders!
Commuted 568 life sentences.
Ya get life for capital murder.
He killed them after he was freed.
2nd right guns kill more people then drug dealers.
Domestic violence is a problem across society, regardless of criminal history. It was inevitable that some of those released would go on to commit further crimes, but hopefully most will go on to lead productive lives.
IRT Bdpapa: Agree, to bad nobody posts links to the successful stories…Same people that are saying to give Trump another chance and not judge Trump by what Trump was aren’t willing to give the common man that same chance…People still will use Fear to influence people…#MAGA
I have always been against minimum drug sentences. Application tends to have a racial element to it and it just feeds a vast prison industrial complex paid for by guess who?
It’s a fact that the average drug dealer serves more time in prison than the average murderer. The hysteria of the war on drugs needs to end. Putting people in jail for years on end simply because they want to get high is insane.
Jail should be for people who kill, steal, rob, fraud, assault, drive drunk – things that they do to other people. If someone wants to shoot heroin or smoke a joint in their own house and not bother anybody else we should just leave them the freak alone.
@ PCWarrior Uh wait a minute! This post is making way too much sense. How did it get posted? A voice of reason is rarely present here. You are too brave.
I suppose for lack of better heroes, someone is already preparing to bankroll a major movie about this 21st century “Schindler’s List.”
Just in time for these folks become part of the drug problem, i.e. Use thsir past working experience to contribute to dealing drugs in the inner cities. The heroin epidemic should help them find easy post prison employment….jeez
Especially if they aren’t given chances in life by people with attitudes like you, where else do they go to provide and live their life? America should decide, if Americans aren’t going to give these guys chances then kill ’em all..#MAGA
@ jusris
Square this with the victims families..what do you tell them if you were BHO…
Crack Dealer Freed Early Under Obama Plan Murders Woman, 2 Kids – Judicial Watch:
http://www.judicialwatch.org/blog/2016/03/crack-dealer-freed-early-under-obama-plan-murders-woman-2-kids/
IRT Keoni: You obviously never deal with what your question is about, you live in a fantasy land…Git any REAL experience dealing with the topic or just Hot air…#MAGA
IRT Keoni: HAHAHA!!!! Still with not answering the questions…Try learning about what you talk about BEFORE talking about it…#MAGA You are right the Comedy Officially starts tomorrow…WIN WIN for me and anti-Trumpers
Really ? He lets off METH dealers, WTF. I understand POT dealers but METH. This guy is insane, glad he’s gone tomorrow !
Agreed, marijuana is relatively harmless (compared to crystal meth), is being legalized by states and not as addictive unlike meth which destroys the individuals using it along with their families.
Fact is people should not be thrown in jail for using drugs. Only thing the war on drugs has done is to make the United States number one in locking up its own citizens. So appropriate for the supposedly leader of the free world? I think not. Be interesting what you will be saying 6 months, a year or two from now. Probably will be calling the Donald a RINO, lol
@ Boots
I gave this to jusris…I’ll give this to you too…
Square this with the victims families..what do you tell them if you were BHO…
Crack Dealer Freed Early Under Obama Plan Murders Woman, 2 Kids – Judicial Watch:
http://www.judicialwatch.org/blog/2016/03/crack-dealer-freed-early-under-obama-plan-murders-woman-2-kids/
IRT Peter (aka Boots), I believe that any individual who deals in illegal drugs, is arrested, must be incarcerated for life, or better yet if the State allows, provided the death sentence. Individuals who deal with illegal drugs do take the life of all the citizens he/she touches with illegal drugs. Illegal drug dealers take and destroys life, don’t you agree? President elect Donald J. Trump will become President of the United States tomorrow and American will be Safe and Great Again.
@ kuroiwaj
Agree with your post and YES to your question.
So after tommorrow drug sales will go down? Promise.
IRT Nanakuli: Correct. No more drug sales or drug users, HAHAHA!!! These guys never experience what they talk about and live in fantasyland…#MAGA
Meth dealers with firearms violations too. This outgoing potus is absolutely insane. Ship them all to Chicago when they’re released.
Birds of a feather stick together.
All these people were good people?????????
as Desi Arnez would say…”ai dun thin so”
I can’t believe he did this. These guys have rap sheets, is this going to be another Dan Moon? What did he learn as President?
I bet most of them were black.
I bet Donna’s white. Trash.
Pardoned the most criminals in us history! Now he can play golf and hang out with his druggi friends! Probably get his choice of drugs free. Good job Obummer, clad your days are over!!!!!!
after all the kabuki about needing stricter repressive gun control laws obama commutes the sentences of hall and lafuente, both “convicted for distributing meth and possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.”
yet, hawaii now sends fingerprints of innocent law abiding firearm owners to the f.b.i. to be included in a criminal data base.
go figure.
Great Job! three more meth dealers back on the street. Thanks Obama!
I’m sure they are all upstanding misunderstood citizens.
Maybe some of his rabid supporters may see how disappointing his 8 years have been.
I respect and admire this President very deeply and always will for a million other reasons, but I don’t see the sense in letting meth dealers out of prison.