In his final hours in office, President Trump granted a full pardon to Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., aka Lil Wayne. Wayne pleaded guilty to a 2019 gun charge in December of 2020 and was facing significant prison time.
According to a statement from the White House, the Trump administration pardoned 73 people and commuted the sentences to another 70 early on Wednesday morning, just hours before Trump’s term as president ends.
Bill K. Kapri aka Kodak Black and former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who was convicted of multiple federal felony counts and sentenced to 28 years, were granted commutations by the outgoing president. Kodak is currently in prison on a 46 month sentence for falsifying federal forms to buy firearms. The Florida rapper’s criminal sexual conduct case is still pending.
In his final hours at the White House, President Donald Trump granted clemency late Tuesday to dozens of people, including his former adviser Stephen Bannon and top election fundraiser Elliott Broidy.
Steve Bannon, Lil Wayne: Who Did Donald Trump Pardon?
One notable absence from the list of those who were granted executive clemency was Tiger King star Joe Exotic, whose legal team had been so confident he d receive a last-minute pardon from the president they had a limo waiting. Kodak Black, Lil Wayne and Steve Bannon Photo: Getty Images
In one of his final acts in office, President Donald Trump issued pardons for 73 people and commuted the sentences of another 70, including Steve Bannon, Lil Wayne and rapper Kodak Black.
Trump signed the official paperwork that issued the pardons just before midnight on Wednesday, capping his final full day as president, according to The Washington Post.
By Vanessa Wojtusiak
Jan 20, 2021
President Donald Trump has released a list of 73 individuals that he has granted pardons to before his leave of office on Wednesday, January 20th. The pardon does not erase the record of the conviction but exempts an individual from a punishment for a crime. This includes reverting back civil liberties like voting, serving on a jury or owning a firearm. President can only pardon federal criminal convictions, according to the Department of Justice. There does not have to be any reasoning for the pardon by the President and it can not be overturned.
The list of 73 individuals who were pardoned by President Trump was released by the Press Secretary (list here) and includes high-profile names such as rappers Lil Wayne (birth name: Dwayne Michael Carter Jr.) and Kodak Black (legal name: Bill Kapri and birth name Dieuson Octave), Former Presidential Aide Stephen K. Bannon as well as several mayors, congressmen and political associates.