In one of his last offical moves as President, George W. Bush has granted pardons to several people including a well known rapper. The Grammy Award-winning hip-hop artist and a former Detroit police sergeant are among 16 individuals that were pardoned or had their prison sentences commuted by President Bush.
The new round of White House pardons announced late last night are Mr Bush's first since March, and come less than two months before the end of his presidency.
The beneficiaries' crimes include drugs conspiracy, tax evasion, poisoning bald eagles, dumping hazardous waste, bank embezzlement and theft of government property.
John Edward Forte, a Grammy Award-winning rapper, is arguably the best known of those pardoned. He was arrested at Newark International Airport in 2000 after being found with a briefcase containing $1.4m of cocaine and was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
On the latest pardon list were:
John Edward Forte, jailed for 14 years for cocaine offences, will also be freed next month, after serving half his term.
Leslie Owen Collier of Charleston, Missouri, who pleaded guilty in 1995 to unlawfully killing three bald eagles after he improperly used pesticide in hamburger meat to kill coyotes, but ended up killing many other animals. Collier was convicted of unauthorised use of a pesticide and violating the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act in 1996
Milton Kirk Cordes of Rapid City, South Dakota, convicted of conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act, which prohibits importation into the country of wildlife taken in violation of conservation laws
Richard Micheal Culpepper of Mahomet, Illinois, sentenced to five years' probation in 1988 for making false statements to the federal government
Brenda Jean Dolenz-Helmer of Fort Worth, Texas, convicted of concealing knowledge of her Dallas doctor father's involvement in medical insurance fraud. She was sentenced on New Year's Eve 1998 to four year's probation with 600 hours of community service and a $10,000 fine
Andrew Foster Harley of Falls Church, Virginia, convicted of wrongful use and distribution of marijuana and cocaine during a general court martial at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs
Obie Gene Helton of Rossville, Georgia, sentenced to two years' probation in April 1983 for unauthorised acquisition of food stamps
Carey C. Hice Sr. of Travelers Rest, South Carolina, convicted 12 years ago of income tax evasion and sentenced to 120 days of home confinement
Geneva Yvonne Hogg of Jacksonville, Florida, who was sentenced to five years' probation in 1980 for bank embezzlement
William Hoyle McCright Jr. of Midland, Texas, a former executive vice president of First National Bank of Midland, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison in the 1980s for making false entries, books, reports or statements to a bank
Paul Julian McCurdy of Sulphur, Oklahoma, who was sentenced to five years' probation in 1988 of misapplication of $112,000 of bank funds
Robert Earl Mohon Jr. of Grant, Alabama, jailed for three years in 1987 for conspiracy to distribute marijuana
Ronald Alan Mohrhoff of Los Angeles, jailed for one year in 1984 for unlawful use of a telephone in relation to a drugs offence
Daniel Figh Pue III, a former production superintendant from Conroe Creosoting in Conroe, Texas, convicted of of illegally transporting and dumping more than 1,500 gallons of hazardous creosote sludge in a ditch
Orion Lynn Vick of White Hall, Arkansas, convicted of aiding and abetting the theft of government property.
Mr Bush commuted the prison sentence of James Russell Harris of Detroit, Michigan, a former police sergeant who was jailed for 30 years in 1993 for bribery, money-laundering and escorting shipments of cocaine. Mr Harris is said to have been co-operative with the government while in prison, and is now very ill.
The new round of White House pardons announced late last night are Mr Bush's first since March, and come less than two months before the end of his presidency.
The beneficiaries' crimes include drugs conspiracy, tax evasion, poisoning bald eagles, dumping hazardous waste, bank embezzlement and theft of government property.
John Edward Forte, a Grammy Award-winning rapper, is arguably the best known of those pardoned. He was arrested at Newark International Airport in 2000 after being found with a briefcase containing $1.4m of cocaine and was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
On the latest pardon list were:
John Edward Forte, jailed for 14 years for cocaine offences, will also be freed next month, after serving half his term.
Leslie Owen Collier of Charleston, Missouri, who pleaded guilty in 1995 to unlawfully killing three bald eagles after he improperly used pesticide in hamburger meat to kill coyotes, but ended up killing many other animals. Collier was convicted of unauthorised use of a pesticide and violating the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act in 1996
Milton Kirk Cordes of Rapid City, South Dakota, convicted of conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act, which prohibits importation into the country of wildlife taken in violation of conservation laws
Richard Micheal Culpepper of Mahomet, Illinois, sentenced to five years' probation in 1988 for making false statements to the federal government
Brenda Jean Dolenz-Helmer of Fort Worth, Texas, convicted of concealing knowledge of her Dallas doctor father's involvement in medical insurance fraud. She was sentenced on New Year's Eve 1998 to four year's probation with 600 hours of community service and a $10,000 fine
Andrew Foster Harley of Falls Church, Virginia, convicted of wrongful use and distribution of marijuana and cocaine during a general court martial at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs
Obie Gene Helton of Rossville, Georgia, sentenced to two years' probation in April 1983 for unauthorised acquisition of food stamps
Carey C. Hice Sr. of Travelers Rest, South Carolina, convicted 12 years ago of income tax evasion and sentenced to 120 days of home confinement
Geneva Yvonne Hogg of Jacksonville, Florida, who was sentenced to five years' probation in 1980 for bank embezzlement
William Hoyle McCright Jr. of Midland, Texas, a former executive vice president of First National Bank of Midland, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison in the 1980s for making false entries, books, reports or statements to a bank
Paul Julian McCurdy of Sulphur, Oklahoma, who was sentenced to five years' probation in 1988 of misapplication of $112,000 of bank funds
Robert Earl Mohon Jr. of Grant, Alabama, jailed for three years in 1987 for conspiracy to distribute marijuana
Ronald Alan Mohrhoff of Los Angeles, jailed for one year in 1984 for unlawful use of a telephone in relation to a drugs offence
Daniel Figh Pue III, a former production superintendant from Conroe Creosoting in Conroe, Texas, convicted of of illegally transporting and dumping more than 1,500 gallons of hazardous creosote sludge in a ditch
Orion Lynn Vick of White Hall, Arkansas, convicted of aiding and abetting the theft of government property.
Mr Bush commuted the prison sentence of James Russell Harris of Detroit, Michigan, a former police sergeant who was jailed for 30 years in 1993 for bribery, money-laundering and escorting shipments of cocaine. Mr Harris is said to have been co-operative with the government while in prison, and is now very ill.
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