In a letter to members of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, Right On Crime today urged representatives to prioritize the bipartisan Weldon Angelos Presidential Pardon Expungements Act. This bill creates a process for expungement eligibility if a person has received a full presidential pardon.
“It is the rare few who are fully pardoned by a U.S. President, yet the recipients carry the weight of a criminal conviction for a lifetime,” said former U.S. Attorney and Right On Crime Executive Director Brett Tolman. “Every American deserves a chance to leave their worst mistakes behind them and become contributing citizens to their communities.”
Under current federal law, thousands of Americans who received full presidential pardon have no process to petition for record expungement. Despite the leader of our nation declaring an individual is free from custody and forgiven of past criminal conduct, the conviction on an individual’s record follows them for a lifetime and can be a barrier to employment, housing, education and other life necessities.
The bill does not automatically expunge any records, but instead sets up the process by which both the pardon recipient and the government can weigh in on whether an expungement would be appropriate. The discrete focus yet meaningful impact makes it apt for expeditious consideration.
This bill is named after Weldon Angelos, a recipient of a full pardon by President Trump in 2020. As a 23-year-old with no criminal record, Angelos was convicted of selling marijuana to a police informant with a firearm strapped to his body several times. While he never used or brandished the firearm during the undercover buys, due to the mandatory minimum sentencing laws at the time, received a sentence of 55 years in prison and served 13 years with exemplary behavior. Today Angelos is a successful music producer and clemency advocate.
Right On Crime is a national campaign of the Texas Public Policy Foundation supporting conservative solutions for less crime, fewer victims, and safer communities. For more information, visit our website at www.RightOnCrime.com or contact Tonya Kerr at 512-300-3767.