Obama has freed more prisoners than the past 10 presidents combined. On Tuesday, he commuted the sentences of another 111 convicted drug felons bringing the total to 673 prisoners released under executive power. Those released included offenders committing gun crimes and drug traffickers.
Before Obama leaves office, there are likely many more reprieves to come.
According to WND, the White House tweeted the announcement and the following chart Tuesday afternoon, stating: “BREAKING: @POTUS just commuted 111 people, bringing the total to more than the past 10 presidents combined.”
BREAKING: @POTUS just commuted 111 people, bringing the total to more than the past 10 presidents combined. pic.twitter.com/cwRfjozpAH
— White House Archived (@ObamaWhiteHouse) August 30, 2016
Obama appears intent on setting records for sentence commutations. As WND reported less than four weeks ago, the White House boasted of springing more prisoners than nine presidents combined.
Most of the inmates are drug dealers, many armed when they committed their crimes. Many trafficked cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine. Nearly a third of the prisoners whose sentenced Obama has commuted are serving life sentences.
“They are individuals who received unduly harsh sentences under outdated laws for committing largely nonviolent drug crimes, for example, the 35 individuals whose life sentences were commuted today,” White House Counsel Neil Eggleston said in a blog post Tuesday. “For each of these applicants, the president considers the individual merits of each application to determine that an applicant is ready to make use of his or her second chance.”
But most of the offenders on the list are not small-time criminals.
“As we’ve seen throughout the year, while Obama touts these criminals as low-level drug offenders, almost everyone in the federal system is a hardcore drug trafficker in which violent crime is a way of life,” wrote David Horowitz at the Conservative Review. “Many of the sentences were originally plead down simply because it is always easier to nail a prosecution on drug charges, even when the individual was originally arrested for armed robbery or even murder. A quick search shows that at least 16 of these individuals were convicted of firearms charges, including using a firearm in the furtherance of drug trafficking. This, at a time when Obama is trying to clamp down on law-abiding gun owners.”
Horowitz also noted that Republicans aren’t pushing back against Obama’s jailbreak plans.
“House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La. (D, 64%) and Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis. (F, 53%) are busy drumming up support for a major push on sentencing reductions, which will empower liberal judges to saddle us with more Willie Hortons,” he wrote. “Next Thursday, Scalise is planning to hold a member briefing making the case to House members that this is the hill to die on for the September session.”
Pointing to the recent Supreme Court’s decision to retroactively “invalidate” a statute concerning repeat offenders, Horowitz also explained that thousands of America’s worst criminals may now see their cases reopened.
“Liberal district judges (40% of active bench appointed by Obama) will be able to release even some of the criminals deemed to violent by Obama’s Justice Department,” Horowitz explained.
On Tuesday, Obama commuted the sentences of the following 111 people:
- Malik Abuhamid Ibm Wakil Abdunafi – Baltimore, Maryland
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute at least 500 grams of cocaine, at least 50 grams of cocaine base (crack), heroin and marijuana; distribution of cocaine and cocaine base (crack); distribution of heroin; possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine, at least five grams of cocaine base (crack), heroin, and marijuana - Quentin C. Adams – St. Louis, Missouri
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (two counts); distribution of cocaine base - Sly Stallone Aikens – Hickory Grove, South Carolina
Offense: Knowingly using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to, and possessing the firearm in furtherance of, a drug trafficking crime (two counts) - Michael Alexander – Charlotte, North Carolina
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base - Alfonso Allen – Miami, Florida
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; distribution of cocaine base (two counts); possession with intent to distribute cocaine, cocaine base and marijuana; possession of a short barreled shotgun in furtherance of a felony drug offense; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; possession of an unregistered short barreled shotgun - Brian Allen Altman – New Berlin, Wisconsin
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime (two counts) - Maurice D. Ball –Kansas City, Missouri
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base - John Franklin Banks – Lynchburg, Virginia
Offense: Continuing criminal enterprise - Mancer L. Barrington III – Norfolk, Virginia
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute cocaine - Tyrie Bell – Sauk Village, Illinois
Offense: Possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute - Ronald Owen Bilbrey Jr. – Winter Haven, Florida
Offense: Conspiracy to traffic in controlled substances; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine (two counts); attempted possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; possession with intent to distribute cocaine; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; distribution of methamphetamine (three counts); possession of ephedrine with intent to manufacture methamphetamine - Tremayne Kendrick Blackwell – Charlotte, North Carolina
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute quantities of cocaine and cocaine base - Corey Lyndell Blount – Houston, Texas
Offense: Use of a communication facility in facilitating the commission of felonies under the Controlled Substance Act; continuing criminal enterprise - Ronald Lee Blount Jr. – Houston, Texas
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine; use of a communication facility in facilitating the commission of felonies under the Controlled Substance Act - Jerome Lee Borders – Statesville, North Carolina
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; conspiracy to commit money laundering - Brad Bradley Bradford – Tampa, Florida
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine - Charles Lee Brandon – Bay City, Michigan
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of cocaine base - Walter Breland – Statesville, North Carolina
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine base; possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime; felon in possession of a firearm - Eugene Kenneth Brinson – Newark, New Jersey
Offense: Possess with intent to distribute cocaine base; possess with intent to distribute cocaine hydrochloride and heroin; possess with intent to distribute marijuana - Roosevelt Brockington – Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Offense: Distribution in excess of five grams of cocaine base - Derrick Lewis Bynum – Hyattsville, Maryland
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances; use of a communications device to facilitate narcotics trafficking (three counts); possession with intent to distribute controlled substances (two counts); possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon - Juan Benito Calbo-Gomez – Corpus Christi, Texas
Offense: 1) Conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base (crack) and marijuana; 2) Supervised release violation (possession with intent to distribute marijuana) - Joseph J. Campbell – Summerville, South Carolina
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine and cocaine base; unlawful use of communication facility to facilitate drug trafficking activity - Eugene Carlton – Decatur, Georgia
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base - Shannon Cave – Bronx, New York
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of cocaine base - Fred Charles Jr. – Stopover, Kentucky
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute 500 grams of cocaine; use of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime - Duane Clasen – Evansville, Wisconsin
Offense: 1) Distribution of approximately 6.85 grams of methamphetamine (mixture), after having previously been convicted of one or more felony drug offenses; 2) Supervised release violation (distribution of amphetamine) - Clarence Douglas Coakley – Dermott, Arkansas
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute cocaine and cocaine base; distribution of cocaine base (two counts) - Merlin Coleman – Chicago, Illinois
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance; use of a communication facility to facilitate the commission of the distribution of a controlled substance (three counts); possession with intent to distribute cocaine - Barry Renfold Cooley – Los Angeles, California
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute narcotics - Travis Dwaine Corley – Blackville, South Carolina
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base and a quantity of cocaine - Warren Dean Cornett – Houston, Texas
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute in excess of five kilograms of cocaine and in excess of 50 grams cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute in excess of 500 grams of cocaine; possess with intent to distribute in excess of 50 grams of cocaine base - Bobby Richard Cotton Jr. – Tampa, Florida
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base - Jessee Dane Cox – Crumpler, North Carolina
Offense: Conspiracy to possess methamphetamine - Aubrey Jermaine Cummings – Miami, Florida
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute at least 50 grams of cocaine base and at least five kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride - Eddie James Davis – Bedford, Ohio
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base - Henry Deleon – Corpus Christi, Texas
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute approximately 2.22 kilograms of a mixture or a substance containing methamphetamine; aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute approximately 2.22 kilograms of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine - James Dillehay – Akron, Ohio
Offense: Conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine - William R. Downs – Daytona Beach, Florida
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base; possession of cocaine base with intent to distribute - Jarrett Dunn – Cleveland, Tennessee
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess more than 50 grams cocaine base; conspiracy to distribute and possess more than five kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride; possession with intent to distribute more than five grams cocaine base - Robert Anthony Eberhart – Garner, North Carolina
Offense: Distribution of cocaine base; possession of a firearm during drug trafficking - Darryl Dewayne Edwards – Port Arthur, Texas
Offense: Attempt to manufacture 50 grams or more of cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; possession of a firearm by a felon - Darryl Ellis – Fort Pierce, Florida
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; aiding and abetting - Mark Foster – Waterford Works, New Jersey
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine; carrying or possessing a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime - Craig William Frazier – Great Falls, Montana
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute marijuana; possession with intent to distribute marijuana - Ricardo Gallardo – Rockford, Illinois
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, five kilograms or more of cocaine and one kilogram or more of heroin; distribution of 2,006 grams of cocaine; possession with intent to distribute 6.02 kilograms of cocaine and 996.9 grams of heroin; money laundering; engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity - Jason Gardner – Fort Worth, Texas
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of cocaine base - Ricky Lamont Garrett – Waco, Texas
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute at least 50 grams of “crack” cocaine; - Orfil Javier Garza – Pacoima, California
Offense: Possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute; carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking offense - Antonio Jevon Gayden – Chicago, Illinois
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute, and/or aid and abet the possession with intent to distribute five grams or more but less than 50 grams of cocaine base after having been previously convicted of a felony drug offense; conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base after having been previously convicted of a felony drug offense - Mark Francis Glidden – Clear Lake, Iowa
Offense: Manufacture and attempt to manufacture five grams or more of methamphetamine (actual) after a prior conviction for a felony drug offense - Quincy Allen Goins – Madison, Tennessee
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute in excess of 50 grams of cocaine base - David Gonzalez – Houston, Texas
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; aiding and abetting the distribution of five grams or more of cocaine base; aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base - Elliott Gray – Baltimore, Maryland
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base, and aiding and abetting - Randolph S. Gustave – Albuquerque, New Mexico
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute in excess of 1,000 kilograms of marijuana; conspiracy to launder monetary instruments (two counts) - Ali Reno Harden – Dublin, Georgia
Offense: Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; possession of a firearm having an obliterated serial number; possession with intent to distribute more than five grams of cocaine base; possession of a firearm during the commission of a drug trafficking crime; possession of marijuana - Ronnie Lorenzo Hardy – Chipley, Florida
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base; principal to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base; unlawful possession of a firearm; possession of a firearm during a felony drug offense - Charles Harrison – Natchez, Mississippi
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base - Jason Thomas Haslip – Las Vegas, Nevada
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute in excess of 500 grams of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDA or Ecstasy); aiding and abetting possession with intent to distribute 87 capsules and 1,419 tablets of Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDA or Ecstasy); aiding and abetting possession with intent to distribute 27 grams of methamphetamine - Monroe Herring – Greensboro, North Carolina
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine and cocaine base - Emmanuel Herron – Stella, Missouri
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute 56.63 grams of crack cocaine; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime - Marvin K. Holloway – District Heights, Maryland
Offense: Unlawful possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base - Cory Lamonte Huddleston – St. Louis, Missouri
Offense: Possession with the intent to distribute in excess of 50 grams of cocaine base - Kevin Huff – New Orleans, Louisiana
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base; possession with the intent to distribute cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute cocaine - Jose Jasso, Jr. – Progreso, Texas
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine - Isaac Simmons Johnson – Macclenny, Florida
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base - Samuel Latrell Johnson – Odessa, Texas
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of cocaine base - Theodore Johnson – Rock Island, Illinois
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine base - Walter Johnson – Tampa, Florida
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base - Tony Lamont Jones – Portsmouth, Virginia
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a mixture or substance containing cocaine base; distribution of cocaine base - James Howard Jones – Cartersville, Georgia
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base; aided and abetted possession with intent to distribute cocaine base - Dirk Ladson – Bronx, New York
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing cocaine and cocaine base - Mark Lanzilotti – Sewell, New Jersey
Offense: Conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; manufacture of methamphetamine and aiding and abetting - Michael Freeman Lattimore – Lawndale, North Carolina
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base - Gary L. Lynch – Rocky Mount, North Carolina
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of cocaine base (crack) and cocaine - Emmanuel Obi Maduka – Detroit, Michigan
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin; conspiracy to import heroin - Larry Martin – Chicago, Illinois
Offense: Drug conspiracy - Rudy Martinez – Chicago, Illinois
Offense: Conspiracy; continuing criminal enterprise; drug distribution (two counts); use of a communication facility in commission of a crime (three counts); interstate travel in aid of racketeering enterprises - Victor Eugene Mason – Washington, North Carolina
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of five kilograms or more of cocaine - Rodney R. McCain – Suitland, Maryland
Offense: Distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; felon in possession of a firearm - Kenneth Russell McCoy – Council Bluffs, Iowa
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine - London Archie McRae – West End, North Carolina
Offense: Possessed with intent to distribute cocaine base (crack) - Danielle Bernard Metz – New Orleans, Louisiana
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute cocaine; continuing criminal enterprise; possession with intent to distribute cocaine hydrochloride - Hal Q. Mincy – Cleveland, Ohio
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of cocaine base (crack) - Joseph Newton – Savannah, Georgia
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute controlled substances; use of a communication facility - James Clinton Patterson, Jr. – Concord, North Carolina
Offense: Possessed with intent to distribute cocaine base (crack - Raeanna Mae Paxton – Casper, Wyoming
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine - Leon Perry – Metter, Georgia
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute a quantity of cocaine base and a quantity of cocaine hydrochloride - Michael D. Points – Louisville, Kentucky
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base - Albert Randolph – St. Louis, Missouri
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of cocaine base - Gregory Augusta Ransom, II – Panama City, Florida
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute more than 50 grams of a mixture and substance containing cocaine base and cocaine - Darryl Lamar Reed – San Leandro, California
Offense: Manufacture and possession with intent to distribute crack and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and aiding and abetting - Tommy Rice – Spartanburg, South Carolina
Offense: Aiding and abetting in the commission of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine - Daxtrell D. Robinson – Champaign, Illinois
Offense: Possession of 50 grams or more of cocaine base (crack) - Uriah Alfred Rose – Miami, Florida
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of crack cocaine - Calvin Dwayne Sangster – St. Louis, Missouri
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (crack) - Martez Lamont Sherrod – Greenville, North Carolina
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of cocaine base and more than 500 grams of cocaine; possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute cocaine - George E. Smith – Riviera Beach, Florida
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute less than five grams of crack cocaine within 1,000 feet of a school; possession with intent to distribute a detectable amount of cocaine within 1,000 feet of a school - Lue Gene Swarn – Dallas, Texas
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine; use of a communication facility to facilitate the commission of a drug felony - John Western Thomas – Albion, Michigan
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute more than 100 grams of cocaine base - Timothy L. Tyler – St. Petersburg, Florida
Offense: Possession with intent to deliver LSD; conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute LSD - Norman Eugene Van Zee – Highmore, South Dakota
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance - Gracie Walker – Granbury, Texas
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance - Derrick Waller – St. Louis, Missouri
Offense: 1. Supervised release violation (possession of an unregistered firearm and distribution of cocaine) - Patrick Willard – Greensboro, North Carolina
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base - Christopher White – Anderson, South Carolina
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute narcotics; distribution and possession of narcotics with intent to distribute; aiding and abetting - Daniel Williams – Schenectady, New York
Offense: Conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine and cocaine base - Jonathan Carnell Williams – Washington, D.C.
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of cocaine base (crack) - Levi Wilson – Denver, Colorado
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, cocaine base and to use a place where cocaine base is manufactured, distributed and used - Richard Van Winrow – Los Angeles, California
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute a narcotic drug controlled substance; felon in possession of a firearm - Raul S. Zavala – Spokane, Washington
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine; use of a communication facility to facilitate the commission of a felony
According to Judicial Watch, in November 2015 the Obama administration began releasing 6,000 drug convicts coined “non-violent” offenders whose sentences were too long under the old guidelines (video below).
News reports quickly surfaced contradicting the administration’s assessment that the newly released convicts were not violent. Among them was the leader of a multi-million dollar operation that smuggled drugs from Canada to Maine. Prosecutors refer to the 29-year-old con as a “drug kingpin” who was one of “America’s Most Wanted.”
Shortly before the administration’s mass release of drug convicts, federal prosecutors warned that drug trafficking is inherently violent and therefore the phrase “non-violent drug offenders” is a misnomer. The nation’s prosecutors also cautioned that reducing prison sentences for drug offenders will weaken their ability to bring dangerous drug traffickers to justice.
As if it weren’t bad enough that the administration is rewarding thousands of criminals with get-out-of-jail cards, huge amounts of taxpayer dollars are being spent on programs to help them find housing and jobs.
In the aftermath of the mass release of federal prisoners Judicial Watch reported on two “re-entry” programs to ease the transition from jail.
One received $1.7 million and ordered public housing facilities not to reject tenants with criminal records. The other allocated $20 million to the Department of Labor (DOL) to help ex-cons find work and thus end the “cycle of poverty, criminality and incarceration.”
Wendell Callahan, a convicted crack dealer who left prison early in 2015 as part of the Obama administration’s mass release of federal inmates has been indicted by a grand jury for fatally stabbing his ex-girlfriend and her two kids in Columbus, Ohio. The gory crime drew national attention because the children, ages 7 and 10, were murdered to eliminate them as witnesses in the brutal massacre of their 32-year-old mother.
A grand jury in Franklin County returned a 10-count, death-penalty indictment in March against the ex-con, 35-year-old Wendell Callahan, for the triple murders. Callahan broke into his ex-girlfriend’s apartment and stabbed the three victims, according to a statement issued by Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien announcing the indictment.
