US President Joe Biden has issued presidential pardons to 39 Americans convicted of non-violent crimes, and commuted the sentences of nearly 1,500 others, including several convicted of multi-million dollar fraud schemes.
The White House described it as the most acts of presidential clemency issued in a single day. It comes after Biden made the decision to pardon his own criminally convicted son, Hunter Biden.
Announcing the move, Biden said those pardoned had “shown successful rehabilitation and have shown commitment to making their communities stronger and safer”.
The US Constitution decrees that a president has the broad “power to grant reprieves and pardons for offences against the United States, except in cases of impeachment”.
The White House released a pardon list of 39 people that said the individuals had committed either a “non-violent offense” or a “non-violent drug offense”. It did not name the specific crimes they were convicted of committing.
Several of those pardoned were individuals who had been released from prison. Many were veterans or they had become community leaders or advocates.
The White House described one pardon recipient as a 49-year-old Virginia resident who was convicted of a drug offence at age 21. After serving his sentence, he went on to earn a university degree, have a successful career in the US Army and Air Force and volunteer for charitable organisations that support veterans.
He is known “as exceptionally hard working, dedicated, and trustworthy by those who know him”, the White House said in a statement that gave short biographies on all those who had received pardons.
The 1,499 commuted sentences includes individuals who were placed in home confinement during the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as those whose sentences Biden deemed to be too long due to outdated laws.
They have “shown that they deserve a second chance”, Biden said of those whose sentences he had commuted.
Biden promised “more steps in the weeks ahead”.
Among those who had their sentences commuted was 76-year-old Timothy McGinn, a former stockbroker convicted in 2013 of defrauding hundreds of clients for millions of dollars, wiping out savings for many of his victims.
Another person who received clemency, a former Ohio county commissioner, Jimmy Dimora, was convicted in 2012 of taking $450,000 (£355,000) in bribes that included lavish trips to Las Vegas, prostitutes and a stone-fired pizza oven.
Also on the list were Paul Daugerdas, convicted of overseeing fraudulent tax shelters in 2014, and Elaine Lovett, convicted of defrauding federal health insurance programme Medicare as part of a $26m scheme in 2017.
The president will leave the White House on 20 January 2025, when his successor Donald Trump is inaugurated.
Biden previously had a record of pardoning fewer people than most presidents in modern US history.
He had issued a few categorical pardons in the past, however. These are pardons given to a sweeping number of people who fall under a category outlined by the president.
In October 2022, Biden issued a full pardon for those who had been convicted of simple possession of marijuana, and later expanded that to include other marijuana-related offenses.
Earlier this year, Biden issued another full pardon to military personnel and veterans who were convicted of an offence based on their sexual orientation.
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