PHILADELPHIA (CelebrityAccess) — Rapper Meek Mill has formally been granted a pardon by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf.
On Thursday, Mill took to Instagram to share an image of his official pardon certificate for his previous conviction on firearms and drug charges.
Mill was originally convicted in 2009 and sentenced to eleven to twenty-three months in prison, followed by eight years of probation, by Philadelphia County Superior Court Judge Genece Brinkley.
He subsequently returned to prison for another 3-6 months in 2014 and in 2018 for parole violations and again in 2015 after performing in Atlanta without receiving court approval for travel.
In 2017, he was again sentenced to two to four years for parole violation but was released early pending the outcome of an appeal to the Pennsylvania supreme court after his attorneys successfully raised credibility issues about the original arresting officer in the 2007 case.
The case drew national attention and inspired Mill to co-found the Reform Alliance, focused on criminal justice reform in the United States.
Mill was one of 2,540 Pennsylvanians who have been pardoned by Governor Tom Wolf, the most granted by a governor of the state. Wolf enacted reforms to the pardon process, including dropping fees and requirements for legal counsel, creating an online form allowing people to appeal for clemency from his office.
“I have taken this process very seriously — reviewing and giving careful thought to each and every one of these 2,540 pardons and the lives they will impact. Every single one of the Pennsylvanians who made it through the process truly deserves their second chance, and it’s been my honor to grant it,” said Gov. Wolf. “A record prevents positive forward motion in a person’s life, and can spark a repetitive cycle of defeat. I firmly believe that with restored rights, pardoned Pennsylvanians prove themselves by stepping up and giving back to our communities.”
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