John L. Tolliver – Holly, MI Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; Southern District of Illinois Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release; $250 fine (June 23, 2005).
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On July 17, 2003, Ennis was sentenced to life in prison and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine.
All told, Obama has commuted 562 sentences during his presidency – more than the past nine presidents combined, the White House said.
President Obama granted clemency to 214 individuals – the most sentences commuted in one day since 1900, the White House announced Wednesday.
The mass commutation is the largest ever issued in a single day US history, the White House said in a press release.
Almost all of those affected are men and nearly all have been convicted of nonviolent drug crimes related to the possession or distributions of drugs including marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine.
Of the six South Carolinians, four will have their sentences shortened to expire this December 1.
A graph provided by the White House shows commutations by recent presidents. Goldsby was originally sentenced to 383 months’ imprisonment and eight years’ supervised release later amended to 360 months’ imprisonment. After sentencing, his term was cut to 27 years, putting him on track for release in 2020.
Among the 214 people who saw their requests for clemency granted, 67 of them were serving life sentences. A lot of them have been scheduled to be released in December, but others will have to continue serving until summer of 2018 and may have to enroll in residential drug treatment programs as a condition of release.
Eggleston said Obama examines each clemency application “on its individual merits” before a decision is made.
He went on to write that everyone who had their sentence shortened were “incarcerated under outdated and unduly harsh sentencing laws”.
A third Iowan, Martin Ruiz Singh, of Marshalltown, had his life sentence commuted to 20 years.
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Lawmakers are on a seven-week summer recess, and the criminal justice reform legislation is seen as a long shot to pass in the weeks before the November elections – when lawmakers must address government funding – or the lame-duck session of Congress.
