By Bill Britt
Alabama Political Reporter
An email obtained by the Alabama Political Report from a US Pardons Attorney states that President Barack Obama has denied former Gov. Don Siegelman’s request for pardon.
The letter to Siegelman’s attorney Greg Craig, from US Pardons Officer William N. Taylor II reads “The application for pardon of your client, Mr. Don Eugene Siegelman, was carefully considered in this Department and the White House, and the decision was reached that favorable action is not warranted. Your client’s application was therefore denied by the President on January 18, 2017.”
Siegelman was convicted in 2006 on federal charges of bribery, conspiracy and obstruction. He received a 78 month sentence which he fought for years before surrendering to prison. In 2012, U.S. District Judge Mark Fuller sentenced former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman to 78 months in Federal prison. Fuller handed down the sentence –10 months less than what he originally gave Siegelman–after hearing emotional statements by Siegelman in Montgomery federal court.
US Pardons Attorney Taylor also informs Siegelman that, “Under the Constitution, there is no appeal from this decision,” leaving the former governor with no apparent recourse. The letter does however say, “If your client wishes to reapply for pardon, your client will become eligible to do so five years after the date of the release of the petitioner from confinement.”
Siegelman is scheduled to be release August 8, 2017 making the pardon a moot point.
Pardon Letter
