President Joe Biden on Wednesday pardoned 16 individuals, two of whom were in Texas, for nonviolent drug charges, including a McKinney man who had a decades-old federal drug conviction removed from his criminal history.
Five people had their sentences reduced, and eleven people had their pardons granted.
As per White House officials, 47-year-old Jason Hernandez was sentenced to life in prison plus an additional 320 years for a nonviolent narcotics offense he committed at the age of 21.
President Obama commuted it in 2013, dedicating his life to making amends. Hernandez’s “exceptional” post-release behavior earned him an early termination of his supervised release in 2021.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Biden stated that April is Second Chance Month and that many of the people receiving clemency had been given terms that were “disproportionately longer” than they would have been under the existing legislation.
Hernandez will be able to travel, vote, and obtain employment following the president’s pardon.
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Hernandez now operates a nonprofit that converted the drugstore he used to operate into a market offering reasonably priced, high-quality food. The name of the establishment is La Tiendita, which means “The Little Store.”
Hernandez revealed that the store’s earnings, which are used to cover overhead and stock the shelves, are located at the intersection of Greenville and Murray Streets.
“The mayor of his hometown, other city officials, colleagues, and community members uniformly attest to the change in Mr. Hernandez’s character since his conviction, the significant contributions he’s made to his community, and his humble, giving nature,” the White House stated.
Residents of Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Connecticut, South Carolina, Virginia, New York, and Washington, D.C. have been given clemency, in addition to those of Texas.
